The BEST explanation for why the public wasn’t able to learn much more about how COVID-19 worked immediately after cases were identified is: Doctors and researchers were still asking questions about the new virus.
This option highlights the fact that COVID-19 was a novel virus and researchers were in the early stages of understanding its biology, transmission, and effects on the human body. The scientific process takes time, especially with new pathogens, and initial data gathering and hypothesis testing are critical in forming accurate conclusions.