Number Of Coronavirus Cases Could Be Ten Times Higher.
KEILAR: There's concern tonight that the worst of the coronavirus outbreak still lies ahead, and the number of cases may be substantially higher than what's being reported right now. CNN'S Brian Todd is working this story for us. And, Brian, US health officials are putting out some really troubling warnings here.</s>BRIAN TODD, CNN CORRESPONDENT: They are, Brianna. Tonight, there are serious warnings about the numbers. There is severe criticism of the way China has handled this, and US officials seem to be struggling over how to give Americans some clarity on coronavirus.</s>TODD (voice-over): An up-close look at a killer. The US government puts out images of particles of coronavirus, seen here in yellow, under a microscope. This comes as President Trump presents an optimistic view of the outbreak.</s>DONALD TRUMP, PRESIDENT OF UNITED STATES: There is a theory that in April, when it gets warm, historically, that has been able to kill the virus, so we don't know yet. We're not sure yet but that's around the corner.</s>TODD: But the head of the Centers for Disease Control says they are preparing for a much longer-term scenario in the United States.</s>DR. ROBERT REDFIELD, DIRECTOR, CENTERS FOR DISEASE CONTROL: This virus is probably with us beyond this season or beyond this year. And I think eventually, the virus will find a foothold and we will get community-based transmission.</s>TODD: So far, there are more than a dozen confirmed cases of coronavirus in the United States. More than 64,000 cases worldwide and nearly 1,400 deaths, the vast majority of them in Mainland China. But some health experts believe even those numbers are just scratching the surface.</s>ERIC FEIGL-DING, PUBLIC HEALTH EXPERT, HARVARD UNIVERSITY: I think they are under diagnosing the number of cases in China dramatically. The lab tests cannot catch up with all the number of cases that are just soaring. And experts think that there could be up to ten times more cases in China that has not been identified whatsoever.</s>TODD: And the people being counted on, the caregivers on the front lines are among those affected. Chinese officials say more than 1,700 medical workers there have contracted coronavirus and half a dozen have died. One nurse talks about how she tried to reassure her parents.</s>JIANG WEI, INTENSIVE CARE NURSE: I always say it's OK since we are well-protected. Actually, I was just saying that to give them peace of mind. We're actually afraid and worried.</s>TODD: Meanwhile tonight, more than 3,600 people, including hundreds of Americans, are still stuck on the floating disaster zone, otherwise known as the Diamond Princess Cruise Ship in Yokohama, Japan. More than 200 people on board have been infected with coronavirus. But officials have decided to let off some elderly passengers who tested negative and needed assistance. Tonight, the criticism of China's handling of the virus is scorching. The CDC says China has not yet accepted its offer to send its top experts to China to help. And US officials are concerned that world health organization teams that are going in will be sidelined.</s>ALEX AZAR, HEALTH AND HUMAN SERVICES SECRETARY: It will not serve a purpose if the WHO team goes and is just confined to a conference room and handed sanitized data. They have got to be able to work shoulder to shoulder with their Chinese scientific colleagues.</s>TODD: Chinese President Xi Jinping is being lambasted by his own people on social media for the government's downplaying of the outbreak at the beginning, for the regime's vilifying of the doctor who warned about it and then died from the virus. Xi disappeared from public view for days at the height of the crisis, then reappeared wearing a surgical mask. And he's purged several top health officials in the region where it broke out, replacing them with people loyal to him.</s>YUN SUN, THE STIMSON CENTER: With one virus outbreak, we see the Chinese government scrambling, trying to react to it effectively. And a lot of his reactions, a lot of his measures have been regarded as ineffective. Then it has to beg the question, is China as great as it has claimed it to be?</s>TODD: As much as China has been blistered with criticism for its handling of the coronavirus outbreak, analysts say Beijing is not the only major government that has mishandled this. So far, neither North Korea nor Indonesia, one of the most populous countries in the world, have reported any cases of coronavirus, which analysts say is patently absurd since both countries very, very likely do have cases. Brianna?</s>KEILAR: Thank you so much for pointing that out, Brian. And coming up, new revelations spark new questions about political motives and presidential influence inside the Justice Department. We'll have details and major developments in the cases against Michael Flynn and Andrew McCabe.