This story is the result of many late-night calls with despairing people in Wuhan over the past week. @ywchen1 and I spoke to well over a dozen patients, experts, govt & hospital sources to pull together this story on the early days of #WuhanCoronavirus. reuters.com/article/us-chi…
It focuses on a crucial gap early in the outbreak when no new cases were tested or reported in China, even as countries abroad began confirming cases. Wuhan hospitals didn’t have testing kits until the 16th. Many early patients weren’t tested until the 20th or later. 
Relatives of patients and healthcare workers said a slow, multi-level bureaucracy made quick reporting impossible, and noted that deaths in #Wuhan have very likely been under-reported
During this period, patients were turned away & minimal quarantine measures were taken. People were told "There's nothing they can do. There are no beds, go home and wait." Some patients are still waiting.
Yesterday, Wuhan's mayor acknowledged that the response wasn't good enough, and indicated he wasn't authorised by law to release information - a rare jab at the China’s legal and political system by an official.
Perhaps one of the best ways to illustrate the 'oh sh*t' moment when authorities realised the seriousness of the virus is the data showing they didn't put any new people under observation for around 10 days. Today over 30,000 people are under observation. #WuhanOutbreak
