China reported Sunday a drop in new virus cases for the third straight day, as it became apparent that the country's leadership was aware of the potential gravity of the situation well before the alarm was sounded.
But state media published Saturday evening a speech Xi delivered Feb. 3 in which he said he gave instructions on fighting the virus as early as Jan. 7.
The disclosure indicates top leaders knew about the outbreak's potential severity weeks before such dangers were made known to the public.
It was not until late January that officials said the virus can spread between humans and a public alarm began to rise