If there's anything to learn from the COVID-19 pandemic that should be considered uncontroversial, it is that one should take statistics put out by communist governments with a grain of salt. Unfortunately, CNN Newsroom co-host Jim Sciutto failed to heed that advice on Tuesday when, in an attempt to highlight the purported shortcomings of the United States under President Trump, he declared Wuhan's virus situation to be "incredible" and "remarkable."
Early in the 9:00 Eastern hour, Sciutto went to commercial teasing, "A stark comparison between the testing here and in China. There were six new cases, six, discovered in a city of Wuhan where the outbreak began. And the governor there planning to test all 11 million residents of Wuhan by the end of next week, just incredible."
Later towards the bottom of the hour, Sciutto returned to the topic. In an attempt to condemn the current levels of testing in the U.S., Sciutto declared, "This is pretty remarkable. Wuhan, China, now says it plans to test all 11 million residents for the coronavirus, this after a handful of new cases were confirmed this week. This comes after President Trump declared that the U.S. has the best testing in the world. In fact, he stood in front of banners in the Rose Garden yesterday that read America is leading the world in testing per capita. That is not true."
Of course they can plan to do something, whether they can preform 11 million tests in only ten days is something that remains to be seen. Even if they can, what gives Sciutto any confidence that the six new cases number or that the reports of this massive testing operation will be truthful? The Chinese Communist Party has not exactly earned the benefit of the doubt.
Here is a transcript for the May 12 show:
CNN
CNN Newsroom with Poppy Harlow and Jim Sciutto
9:11 AM ET
JIM SCIUTTO: A stark comparison between the testing here and in China. There were six new cases, six, discovered in a city of Wuhan where the outbreak began. And the governor there planning to test all 11 million residents of Wuhan by the end of next week, just incredible.
…
9:25
SCIUTTO: This is pretty remarkable. Wuhan, China, now says it plans to test all 11 million residents for the coronavirus, this after a handful of new cases were confirmed this week. This comes after President Trump declared that the U.S. has the best testing in the world. In fact, he stood in front of banners in the Rose Garden yesterday that read America is leading the world in testing per capita. That is not true
