In leaked documents from whistle-blowers within the Chinese health system, data shows underreporting of the disease from the beginning of the outbreak. The documents revealed how health authorities marked documents as internal or confidential in order to stop the true cause of the disease being reported. Journalists were also issued strict reporting orders, blocking the true horrifying figures from being released to the world.
As shown by the documents passed to CNN, cases were split into “confirmed”, “clinically diagnosed” and “suspected” cases.
By doing this, health experts now claim it was near impossible to establish the true numbers of the coronavirus outbreak.
In one example, data showed official figures had reported 2,478 cases as of February 10.
In fact, 5,918 cases were identified on the day in what comes as one of the more significant leaks to emanate from China.
A laboratory technician told the Press Association it became “mission impossible” to confirm new cases of the virus in Wuhan while the Communist Party also forced local agencies to pass over any data to the central government.
Staff at the Centre for Disease Control also claimed practises were so abnormal they were convinced testing was being blocked.
A doctor at a Zhongnan Hospital raised the alarm over the obstruction of the data and criticised the criteria for how cases were reported.
Health officials at the hospital told government authorities of the worsening situation in January.
China was the first country to report a case of the virus and currently has 86,619 confirmed cases.
However, world leaders have questioned the true outbreak of the virus in the country.
Outgoing US President Donald Trump has led calls for an independent investigation into the virus and had claimed to have evidence into an alleged cover-up – although the details were not released.
This week, Chinese officials announced they will speed up approval of its domestically made coronavirus vaccine.
China has five vaccines currently in production and are being tested in states such as Russia, Mexico and Egypt.
Officials, however, have not stated how they will role out the vaccine for the 1.4 billion people.
There has also been no word on the side effects of the drug from Chinese officials.
Over one million healthcare workers and others deemed high-risk have received experimental vaccines for emergency use.
Donald Trump won the 2020 election and anyone who says otherwise is wrong - at least that is the belief among supporters who turned out to cheer for him at a rally in Georgia.
"Four more years!" they chanted at an airfield on the outskirts of the city of Valdosta.
To the sound of music and shouts, the president and first lady walked out on to a raised platform, flanked by a wall of well-wishers, many of them wearing red Make America Great Again caps and waving posters.
Image:It was Mr Trump's first rally since election day
"They cheated and they rigged our presidential election but we will still win it," Mr Trump said.
It was his first rally since election day on 3 November - a vote the Republican incumbent lost to his Democratic rival Joe Biden.
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Yet it's a defeat the several thousand men and women at the airfield - most of them without face masks and with no social distancing - refused to recognise.
Instead they appeared convinced that the election was stolen from them.
More from Donald Trump
The gathering was even called a victory rally.
Many cite as proof a surveillance video that the Trump campaign claims shows secret "suitcases" of ballots being counted on election night without observers at a site in Georgia, even though it has been dismissed by Republican election officials.
Image:One of Mr Trump's more colourfully-dressed supporters
President Trump shared the footage during the rally, drawing boos from the crowds as they turned on the media in a cordoned off area for - as they see it - failing to report the true story of the election.
A man brandishing the slogan "Stop The Steal" on a cardboard poster, who gave his name as Steve, told me: "I think the fraud is in your face. There is a tremendous amount of evidence and the people who are saying there is no evidence are not even looking."
He added: "I want to send a message to support Donald Trump because we love Donald Trump and to help stop the steal of the election of our freedoms and our country."
A second man called Keith used the Star Wars character Obi-Wan Kenobi, who is killed by Darth Vader, but returns as a more powerful force, to describe what he thinks will happen to the president if he does not serve a second term.
"He's going to be more powerful in defeat than in the actual Oval Office," he said.
"I know Donald Trump is a fighter. We support Donald Trump because he supports the American people and that is why we are supporting him now. We are going to back our president."
Despite his anger at what he sees as fraudulent election results, Mr Trump urged his supporters to take part in a crucial run-off vote next month for Georgia's two seats in the Senate.
If the Republicans fail to hold on to them, the balance of power in the upper chamber will shift to the Democrats, in a move that would enable Mr Biden to push on with his agenda and challenge Mr Trump's legacy without becoming embroiled in bipartisan wrangling.
Yet for Mr Trump's fans at the airfield, it is impossible to conceive of such an eventuality because they think he will serve a second term.
Image:The gathering was called a victory rally
One man, dressed in the red, white and blue of the American flag and calling himself "Uncle Sam", said: "He [Mr Trump] is our chief executive, he is our commander in chief. He is going to defend the Republic. Joe Biden did not win and he will not win."
The election results would suggest otherwise.
In fact the state of Georgia voted Democrat for the first time since 1992.
Down the road from the rally, in the city centre, the mood is far more about Christmas cheer than election fever.
Marley Atkinson, 30, a mother who was out with her two young children, said she was not impressed by Mr Trump's claims of fraud.
"I feel he is just acting like my toddler when he didn't get his way and now he's upset about it and that is just ruining any chance of me voting for him in future elections," she said.
US President Donald Trump has held his first rally after losing the US presidential election.
The event in Georgia comes before key Senate runoff elections there in January which will decide control of the upper house.
Joe Biden is the first Democratic candidate to win the state in a presidential election since 1992.
Mr Trump has repeatedly refused to admit his defeat and made numerous unsubstantiated claims of voter fraud.
Ahead of the rally he criticised Georgia's Republican governor on Twitter, calling on him to help overturn Joe Biden's election victory in the state.
In his speech on Saturday however the president seemed to admit his loss, claiming his foreign policy measures could be reversed soon due to the incoming Democratic president-elect. Under the US constitution, Mr Biden will take office on 20 January regardless of whether Mr Trump admits defeat.
Mr Biden won the presidential election with 306 votes in the electoral college - the system the US uses to elect a president - to Mr Trump's 232. The college will meet on 14 December to formalise the outcome.
What did Trump say?
Appearing in Valdosta, Georgia for his first rally since the 3 November vote, Mr Trump again made claims of electoral fraud and attacked Governor Brian Kemp.
Mr Trump has alleged throughout the election that the increase in postal ballots had led to widespread fraud, but there has been no evidence of this.
In a speech nearly two hours long - nominally to support two Republican Senators campaigning for re-election - President Trump told the cheering crowd that he could still win the election. Repeating his unsubstantiated claims, he said "they cheated and rigged our presidential election but we'll still win it", adding that Mr Kemp should "get a lot tougher".
The crowd - many waving "Make America Great Again" posters - chanted "Stop the steal" and "Four more years".
Despite the euphoria of the event, some Republicans are concerned that the president's continuing allegations of fraud will discourage his supporters from voting in the Senate races by falsely convincing them that the system is rigged.
Georgia's Secretary of State Brad Raffensperger, a Republican, said on Wednesday that no evidence of widespread fraud had been found to support Mr Trump's claims.
The rally came after Mr Trump reportedly called Governor Kemp on Saturday morning and asked him to demand an audit of absentee ballot signatures, according to the Washington Post. Mr Kemp - who has no power to order such an audit - turned down the requests, a source told the newspaper.
Then on Twitter, the president turned up the pressure on the governor, saying: "I will easily & quickly win Georgia if Governor @BrianKempGA or the Secretary of State permit a simple signature verification ... Why are these two 'Republicans' saying no?"
Mr Kemp tweeted back that he had "publicly called for a signature audit three times", to which Trump responded by calling for a special session of the state legislature.
Someone reportedly familiar with the call told CNN that Mr Trump told Mr Kemp to call the special session and convince legislators to pick electors who would support him.
Under the US electoral college system, people vote for a president and then state electors - roughly in line with the population of their state - formally give their electoral college votes to a candidate.
Why are Republicans campaigning again in Georgia?
The state has two separate Senate races under way ahead of runoff elections on 5 January and both have a Republican incumbent squaring off against a Democratic newcomer.
Senator David Perdue, 70, will compete against Jon Ossoff, 33, a documentary filmmaker.
Senator Kelly Loeffler, 50, is facing off with Reverend Raphael Warnock, 51, a senior pastor at an Atlanta Baptist Church.
Reuters
Recent polls show Mr Warnock pulling ahead of Ms Loeffler and the Perdue-Ossoff race in a dead heat.
Mr Trump's Republican party currently has a slim majority in the upper chamber, and a victory in the run-offs would allow it to counter the Democratic administration of President-elect Biden.
However, if the Democrats win the two remaining seats, they would control half the seats in the Senate - and the vice-president would be able to act as a tie-breaker.
The Democrats already control the lower chamber - the House of Representatives.
Officially North Korea has yet to admit to recording a single case of Covid-19. The country shut its border with China and planted land mines to deter any crossing attempts.
However, a number of cities and provinces have been forced into lockdown sparking speculation the deadly disease may have hit North Korea.
North Korean authorities are also reported to have built quarantine facilities across the country for both civilians and the military.
Speaking to Daily NK, a South Korean news site, a source claimed 4,180 North Korean military personnel have died in these camps.
The figure includes 2,800 soldiers, 920 sailors and 460 airmen.
However, the report has not been independently verified and violently contradicts claims from North Korean authorities.
Daily NK reports a high ranking North Korean source as saying each branch of the military runs its own quarantine camps.
The army allegedly has 17 along with four and three for the air force and navy respectively.
The source claimed in total more than 50,000 North Korean military personnel have passed through the camps.
US President Donald Trump has pressed the Republican governor of Georgia to help overturn Joe Biden's election victory in the state.
In a series of tweets, he urged governor Brian Kemp to call a special session of the state legislature.
It came hours before Mr Trump attended a campaign rally in Georgia for upcoming Senate runoff elections.
The president is still refusing to concede and alleges, without evidence, that Mr Biden's win was due to fraud.
He has launched legal challenges in several states but so far almost all of them have failed.
Georgia was a key battleground state in the election and Joe Biden's narrow win - the first time the state had voted Democrat since 1992 - helped to seal his victory.
It is now the focus of an intense political battle for control of the Senate. If Democrats win January's two runoff elections there, Republicans would lose control of the upper house.
According to the Washington Post, Mr Trump called Mr Kemp on Saturday morning and asked him to demand an audit of absentee ballot signatures. Mr Kemp - who has no power to order such an audit - turned down the requests, a source told the newspaper.
Mr Trump has alleged throughout the election that the increase in postal ballots had led to widespread fraud, but there has been no evidence of this.
Then on Twitter, the president turned up the pressure on the governor, saying: "I will easily & quickly win Georgia if Governor @BrianKempGA or the Secretary of State permit a simple signature verification ... Why are these two 'Republicans' saying no?"
Mr Kemp tweeted back that he had "publicly called for a signature audit three times" to which Trump responded: "Your people are refusing to do what you ask. What are they hiding?"
He added: "At least immediately ask for a Special Session of the Legislature. That you can easily, and immediately, do."
Later, in his first post-election campaign rally, Mr Trump again took aim at Mr Kemp, saying the governor had to "get a lot tougher".
But you never got the signature verification! Your people are refusing to do what you ask. What are they hiding? At least immediately ask for a Special Session of the Legislature. That you can easily, and immediately, do. #Transparencyhttps://t.co/h73ZfjrDt3
In a speech nearly two hours long - nominally to support two Republican Senators campaigning for re-election - President Trump told the cheering crowd in Valdosta, Georgia, that he could still win the election. Repeating his unsubstantiated claims, he said: "They cheated and rigged our presidential election but we'll still win it."
The crowd - many waving "Make America Great Again" posters - chanted "Stop the steal" and "Four More Years".
Despite the euphoria of the event, some Republicans are concerned that the president's continuing allegations of fraud will discourage his supporters from voting in the Senate races.
Georgia's Secretary of State Brad Raffensperger, a Republican, said on Wednesday that no evidence of widespread fraud had been found to support Mr Trump's claims.
Mr Biden won the election with 306 votes in the electoral college - the system the US uses to elect a president - to Mr Trump's 232. The college will meet on 14 December to formalise the outcome.
Why are Republicans campaigning again in Georgia?
The state has two separate Senate races under way ahead of runoff elections on 5 January and both have a Republican incumbent squaring off against a Democratic newcomer.
Senator David Perdue, 70, will compete against Jon Ossoff, 33, a documentary filmmaker.
Senator Kelly Loeffler, 50, is facing off with Reverend Raphael Warnock, 51, a senior pastor at an Atlanta Baptist Church.
Reuters
Recent polls show Mr Warnock pulling ahead of Ms Loeffler and the Perdue-Ossoff race in a dead heat.
Mr Trump's Republican party currently has a slim majority in the upper chamber, and a victory in the run-offs would allow it to counter the Democratic administration of President-elect Biden.
However, if the Democrats win the two remaining seats, they would control half the seats in the Senate - and the vice-president would be able to act as a tie-breaker.
The Democrats already control the lower chamber - the House of Representatives.
