In the US, flu has killed 0.056% of people infected since October 2019 to February 22, 2020 (latest reported data).I don’t get the hysteria with this???? The FLU has already killed thousands of people and it doesn’t get any press?
The WHO, hours ago, revised the worldwide mortality rate for SARS-CoV-2 upward to 3.4%. Most of these numbers are from January 2020 onward.
This new virus in humans spreads more easily than flu. It just hasn't spread as far as yet. It is thought that it will eventually be endemic, like flu and other human coronaviruses that cause mild colds, and infect a larger proportion of the population.
Countries are scrambling to restrict its spread so we can have the same tools in place that we have for flu (like widely available diagnostic capability, antiviral drugs, and hopefully a vaccine) that helps limit the spread of flu and the mortality. Otherwise, maybe not this spring, but in fall when respiratory infections kick up again, there will be a lot of deaths and hospitals overwhelmed with very sick individuals.