The CCP prohibited the virus's genetic sequence from being published. After a lab published it, it was shut down.
>On 11 January, Edward C. Holmes contacted Zhang for permission to publish the virus's genome. Zhang granted permission, and Holmes published the genome on virological.org that day.[1][3] The Chinese government had prohibited labs from publishing information about the new coronavirus, though Zhang later said he did not know about the prohibition.[3] The next day, the Shanghai Health Commission ordered Zhang's laboratory to close temporarily for "rectification".
https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Zhang_Yongzhen#COVID-19_pand...