Whilst I understand most of you see this as an overreaction, you must not forget a few things. The Coronavirus can be transmitted by infected people who do not show symptoms, which makes it tough to contain as it is sheer impossible to see clusters before an actual outbreak in a certain area. And in our mobile era, it can spread exponentially faster than ever.
Second, by WHO estimates, Coronavirus is minimum 10x more lethal than the usual seasonal flu. 1% compared to 0.1%. Current numbers have it at over 3% but that will come down the more people are tested.
I've read extensively about the Spanish Flu (wrong name as it appeared first in the US) in the past day and can see a lot of parallels but also some differences. Most importantly, medicine is much more advanced but also that the virus has evolved greatly in a relatively short period.
However, the reaction of some countries is very similar - downplay the problem, blame others, realize it is becoming a problem, rushed response to try and contain it.
Should we panic? Of course not but neither should we be totally negligent.
Here a pic from that time. BTW, the Spanish Flu was most lethal in the 18-40 years age bracket. Funny how nature had the viruses evolve to become more lethal for the weaker part of society. Natural selection to keep the strongest???
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