I don't even get why people were denying it during Wuhan lockdown.
Did the fact that they're building not one, but two field hospitals with gear within weeks not give them some clue that shit actually hit the fan, and the only good news is there isn't a lot of direct flights from Wuhan to North America?
I was hearing a mix of higher population density, worse hygiene, expectations of containment, different culture/government, skepticism of Chinese media honesty, and (perhaps most importantly) downplaying by WHO and other experts.
Italy was the nail in the coffin for those... optimistic expectations. Except among the lunatic fringe.
Did the fact that they're building not one, but two field hospitals with gear within weeks not give them some clue that shit actually hit the fan, and the only good news is there isn't a lot of direct flights from Wuhan to North America?