Why was there such a draconian and very long lasting overreaction by Western governments to the global Covid-19 pandemic?

The Wuhan Institute of Virology was reported to be a dual research institute (civilian and military, biological weapons). A lab leak hypothesis was intensively suppressed in the West for a number of reasons (e.g. to avoid panic), but it is still one of the best explanations.

The Communist Party of China was not inspiring confidence. It was not cooperating with and not candidly informing the world! If it was a lab leak, then was it an accident of some sort or was it an intentional release by an individual or by government? Other questions come to mind.

The U.S. government financed and supported research at this institute that was likely illegal to be conducted in the U.S. The charlatan and clown Anthony Fauci still has not been indicted! This is another reason why the lab leak hypothesis was suppressed.

SARS-CoV-2/Covid-19 was not a very deadly disease (roughly comparable to sever influenza/common cold), but a very infectious one! This was known in the West latest by mid 2020.