The CIA has been warning the Trump administration since February that China is underreporting their coronavirus cases, intelligence officials told The New York Times.

China has reported more than 82,000 cases and 3,326 deaths — about half that of the U.S. in both figures — though according to the Times, intelligence officials have concluded that China itself does not know the exact number of coronavirus patients in their hospitals.

Intelligence officials sent a report to the White House last week saying they are assessing China's reported figures, Bloomberg reported Wednesday.

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Those arguing that China misreported its figures argue that as a result, efforts to slow the spread of the coronavirus in Europe and North American were not started immediately enough.

Having as much accurate information as possible from China on how the virus spread could also be valuable to public health officials in the United States and other countries understanding how to cope with the virus and understand it.

White House national security adviser Robert O'Brien during the coronavirus task force briefing on Wednesday said he could not confirm the numbers of cases and deaths from China.

U.S. and Chinese officials have exchanged public criticism over their handling of the virus's spread, even as they have also sought to cooperate.

President Trump Donald John TrumpBarr criticizes DOJ in speech declaring all agency power 'is invested in the attorney general' Military leaders asked about using heat ray on protesters outside White House: report Powell warns failure to reach COVID-19 deal could 'scar and damage' economy MORE repeatedly called the coronavirus the “Wuhan virus” and "China virus" in a nod to its origins, though he has stopped using the term over the past week amid criticism that it was leading to violence against Asian Americans.

Chinese officials have falsely said the coronavirus could have been a U.S. military plot.

Though the virus originated in China, this week the U.S. and three other western countries jumped past China in total confirmed cases.

Earlier this month, China announced its first day with no new cases in the city of Wuhan.