U.S. Senate Intelligence Chairman Richard Burr, Republican of North Carolina, three weeks ago told a private, exclusive audience just how lethal and devastating coronavirus is, but said nothing to the general public.

“There’s one thing I can tell you about this: It is much more aggressive in its transmission than anything we have seen in recent history,” Senator Burr says in the secret audio recording (below) obtained by NPR.

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COVID-19 is “probably more akin to the 1918 pandemic,” Burr tells members of the Tar Heel Circle, a club of North Carolina business people. NPR’s Tim Mak says it cost $500 to $10,000 to become a member.

Mak says a lot of what Burr said could happen already has. But Burr “never told the general public.”

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