What about the purging that took place early in the virus (not this most recent "database purge" ... which as you point out may not be the important one.
You mean the order to either transfer patient samples to more secure labs or destroy them?
That's standard biosecurity when a new, dangerous pathogen is discovered. Regulatory agencies in other countries would have done the same thing.
A bunch of patient samples were sent out to diagnostic labs before anyone knew they contained a novel coronavirus. You can imagine regulators freaking out when they discover those samples contain a new, possibly dangerous virus.
March 2020:
https://www.thetimes.co.uk/article/chinese-scientists-destro...