Yes, skeptical.
For proof, look no further than the article/audio clip
you posted on the site on
January 21, 2020
here
https://www.thecoli.com/posts/36337886/
Using the information available at the time, the NPR article that you posted, included this quote. (posting the full passage for context)
=====
Should Americans be afraid of coronavirus?
"With global travel, the spread of any infectious disease is literally a plane ride away," says Robert Glatter, an emergency physician at New York's Lenox Hill Hospital.
On Friday, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention and Customs and Border Protection began
enhanced health screenings to detect travelers sickened by coronavirus coming into the United States from Wuhan. The screenings are taking place at airports in San Francisco, New York and Los Angeles. The CDC said it is monitoring coronavirus and the risk for spreading into the U.S.
Glatter, however, said perspective is important.
"It’s more likely that you would encounter the flu compared to the coronavirus," Glatter said. "It’s the flu and measles which pose a greater threat to the global community at this time."
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So, like I said, the medical professionals in America at the time were downplaying the likelihood of it exploding here like it had in other regions. Physicians and scientists altered and changed what they were saying as they learned more about the virus. It was after all a novel or new virus. The nature of it, and the possible public safety risk was being compared to SARS and other outbreaks of disease.
So, will double down on Americans being rightfully skeptical about early reports and what we were being told.