  Background: Wuhan, China was the epicenter of COVID-19 pandemic. The goal of
current study is to understand the infection transmission dynamics before
intervention measures were taken. Methods: Data and key events were searched
through pubmed and internet. Epidemiological data were calculated using data
extracted from a variety of data sources. Results: We established a timeline
showing by January 1, 2020, Chinese authorities had been presented convincing
evidence of human-to-human transmission; however, it was not until January 20,
2020 that this information was shared with the public. Our study estimated that
there would have been 10989 total infected cases if interventions were taken on
January 2, 2020, versus 239875 cases when lockdown was put in place on January
23, 2020. Conclusions: China's withholding of key information about the 2020
COVID-19 outbreak and its delayed response ultimately led to the largest public
health crisis of this century and could have been avoided with earlier
countermeasures.
