I'm not so much worried about how the experts interpret this number behind closed doors, but how everyone else reacts to it. This thread began with someone confidently saying that the 2% death rate will decline as we get better data, and using that to argue against the cancellation of the MWC. I've also seen about a million thinkpieces and social media posts telling us that we're crazy to worry about this virus because the flu is so much worse -- and while they're mostly focusing on the fact that the current number of cases is small compared to seasonal flu, they might not be so dismissive if they knew that 2% could be a significant underestimate of the mortality rate. And I suspect that many (most?) countries' quarantine and related policies are affected by public opinion, rather than being a pure function of expert advice.