The extent of the coronavirus epidemic gripping China may be “dramatically underestimated,” according to a former US health chief who believes there are “tens of thousands” more cases than the country has revealed.

Former Food and Drug Administration Commissioner Scott Gottlieb said Tuesday that he fears that the number of people infected with the deadly virus in China is significantly higher than being reported, according to CNBC.

“I think we are dramatically underestimating” cases in China by “tens of thousands,” Gottlieb told CNBC’s “Squawk Box.” “I think the Chinese haven’t been fully sharing.”

His remarks come as Chinese officials reported the death toll from the virus has surpassed 100 with more than 4,500 cases.

The new illness first emerged last month at a wild animal markets in the central Chinese city of Wuhan.

But Gottlieb said it’s hard to know the true number of people infected because the country start doing widespread testing until recently.

“We know the numerator,” he told the outlet. “We don’t know the denominator.”

Experts say the virus can spread from person to person, though it’s unclear whether transmission is able to occur before an infected person experiences symptoms.

With Post wires