Dude, even China was not sure in January 2020 whether the virus can spread between humans. Neither was Hongk Kong. And HK has the world's leading virologist experts on SARS and also now Corona. Your suggestions are simply factually wrong.
Ad hominem because so many aren't willing to spend even 10 minutes reading about the subject. You said "it was previously not even known that Corona can be passed between humans" and that is categorically wrong.
You seem to be having a problem with reading comprehension.
The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) today confirmed that the 2019 Novel Coronavirus (2019-nCoV) has spread between two people in the United States, representing the first instance of person-to-person spread with this new virus here.
Recognizing early on that the 2019-nCoV could potentially spread between people, CDC has been working closely with state and local partners to identify close contacts of confirmed 2019-nCoV cases.
That does NOT mean they didn't think the virus spreads person-to-person, only that it's the first case in the US. How clear do you want it made?
Other Corona viruses spread person-to-person so it was hardly a surprise to anyone.
The Chinese doctor warned about this exactly and the Chinese REFUSED to look into it at all. They buried their head in the sand and now everyone suffers. How about that for facts.