Further, that assumes that the healthcare system can perform heroic efforts. In cases where the system is overloaded, such as seen in Italy, mortality numbers can get much worse. Now add that some/many patients have lung scarring that can hold with them for life.

With all of the information available demonstrating that it clearly is pretty serious, I've come to identify people downplaying it as essentially the exercising of wishful thinking: If I tell everyone it's nothing, maybe it will be.

I hope it's nothing. At the same time I understand the responses that have occurred.

That's a bit alarmist. Based on the numbers from Wuhan, where the disease has progressed furthest and the numbers are most clear, it's about 5 times worse than a seasonal flu. There is considerable uncertainty at this stage, of course, but the lower numbers look more realistic. Source: https://www.economist.com/international/2020/03/12/fatality-...

Yeah what I typed came across badly, I wasn't intending to download like it seemed from that comment.