Flu deaths are around .1%. Corona virus is between 2 and 4%. If this virus were to become widespread, it could far eclipse the flu in terms of mortality.

So far we have a pretty small sample size to draw conclusions of mortality rate. I hope millions of people don't get it to see if the statistics and percentages hold up. It is really hard to know the real statistics with the China government blatantly under reporting the numbers. One British journal, The Lancet estimates over 750,000 infections and who knows how many deaths. Mass deaths are pretty hard to hide for long. Illness numbers are easier to hide.

A saw one report today the oil is down to $50 a barrel due to very low demand from China. No one there can drive, so demand for gasoline is way down. We get cheaper gasoline. Right now gas is under 2 bucks per gallon locally. Adjusted for inflation that is like $0.30 per gallon for gas in 1970. As I remember gas was about 25 cents per gallon back then, but taxes gas taxes were less by a lot.

Hasn’t nearly everyone that has gotten sick in a first world country made a relatively quick and full recovery? China may be a world power but is still in many ways a third world country from a medical care perspective.

+1 to the above (my best friend worked in china as an expat for 10+y and he has stories about healthcare, particularly emergency stuff even as a well-to-do expat that would make you shake your head in disbelief). It's also probably safe to multiply reported cases x100 when it comes to China's transparency.

The fact is today's world is completely interconnected via air travel and exchange of goods, but a sizeable portion of the population still lives in abject poverty / total lack of modern hygiene, and will eat anything that moves, slithers or crawls. People still crap in ditches outside many big cities, rivers like the Ganges are a giant cesspool that people bathe in (!!!), we're deforesting places that allow introduction of unknown bugs, really this no surprise at all... There is a giant disconnect between the world's hygiene/medical care and some old beliefs and ease with which bugs can hitch rides nowadays. You could quarantine a gallion in the 1700s, now 12 hours later you're bringing your viruses all over. Add greed and political correctness in the middle and we take weeks before stopping air travel to and from affected areas... It's just a matter of time till the herd gets culled.

Just looking at the current ratio of deaths to recoveries in China (Hubei mainly), the numbers don't look good for anyone who contracts it over there.

Just google Chinese traditional medicine cures for coronavirus.

https://www.japantimes.co.jp/news/2020/02/03/asia-pacific/science-health-asia-pacific/herbal-remedies-coronavirus-traditional-chinese-medicine/#.XjroSCNMGUk

Lots of totally bogus "cures" used to treat it. Maybe one will work, but don't count on it. Buffalo horn or kimchi is not a likely cure.