1. What have U.S. intelligence officials concluded about the Communist government of China’s reporting on the coronavirus, which originated in China’s Wuhan province?

2. What did two of the officials say about China’s coronavirus numbers?

3. What did Vice President Mike Pence, who is leading the White House Coronavirus Task Force, say about China’s reporting on the virus?

4. Why have people around the world mistrusted the Chinese government’s reporting on the virus? (What is known about what they have done, as well as the reality in Hubei province?)

5. What did Dr. Deborah Birx say about the Communist government’s distortion of the true scope of the coronavirus?

6. List additional countries mentioned in the article that are suspected of lying about their numbers.

7. How do you think things might have been different had the Chinese government been honest with world leaders about the scope and dangers of the coronavirus? (Do you think medical and disease experts would have taken a much more aggressive approach to dealing with it earlier?) Explain your answer.

8. a) Read the editorial under “Background” (below the questions) about the WHO’s relationship with China. The World Health Organization is a specialized agency of the United Nations responsible for international public health. Considering the facts learned in this commentary, do you agree with the writers who say, “We believe the [WHO’s] director-general, Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus, like China’s Xi Jinping, should be held accountable for recklessly managing this deadly pandemic”? Explain your answer.

b) Ask a parent the same question.