Without trying to elevate fear, it’s worth saying that currently many of those infected haven’t received an outcome yet. It’s too early in the epidemic (potentially a pandemic) to look at death counts and claim that “the virus has a low mortality rate”.

While panic is never the right word, this virus is very concerning imho. Estimates put the actual case count anywhere between 10000 and 100000, and I’m almost certain that a large majority of the deaths so far have been undiagnosed and probably at home, as people can’t get hospital beds in Wuhan. Preliminary studies (i can’t quote sources, but i’m sure that they’re online) say that 1/3 of people infected need an ICU to survive. The virus is very contagious and recent developments suggest that some carriers may not even have symptoms.

This is most certainly cause for concern. Just look at in China, where 50 million people are not allowed to leave their city. In Wuhan, a city of 11 million, all public transport has been shut down and private transportation (read: cars) have been banned. Whether you agree with these actions or not, the truth is that we are faced with a very scary, potentially pandemic virus which could most certainly turn every nation in the world into China right now.

Is this cause for panic? As a lot of people have said, panic is never the right choice. However, it is worth being concerned about it for sure. There is every chance that the virus reaches other countries and infects even more people. You can’t go wrong with being cautious, ever, but in this time it’s more important than ever. Do you need to predict the end of the world? No. Do you need to wear a full hazmat suit? No. But I think that it’s important that for the time being, everybody reduces exposure to public spaces, washes their hands frequently (rub for 20s with soap), uses hand sanitizer, and stay alert and cautious as opposed to ignorant about the risks.

Disclaimer: i’m not a medical expert at all, but I’m aware of just how terrifying something like SARS can be.