The error bars on CFR estimates run from fractions of a percent to a few percent. In countries that have tested large numbers of people who are not severely ill, the case fatality rates have been at the low end of that range.
This isn’t “shocking to epidemiologists”, it’s shocking only to people who dismiss basic facts and try to use irrelevant distractions (like cremation rates) to incite fear.
Epidemiologists do count with overwhelmed hospitals and services, excess deaths due that that, excess deaths on unrelated heath problems. It not just something they talk about, they have it in their models too. This does not happen with influenza, because it is easier to control. Irrelevant distraction there is Italy or Spain lately.
Epidemiologists do talk also about costs after epidemic ends, in treatment of people who will need care for long.
What amateurs do is to ignore all the above, pick up case fatality ration in well run non-overwhelmed health care system and pretend that is situation same as influenza to feel good.
Not that I have heard of. You’re going to have to cite some evidence here.
(They’re both respiratory viruses with similar R0, so your evidence needs to be pretty extraordinary to be convincing.)
In italy in hard hit city, they were unable to cremate people fast enough and army had to move bodies. Influenza does not cause that.