There have been about 15,000,000 cases, 140,000 hospitalizations, and 8,200 deaths from the flu in the US alone this season. I could be wrong, but I'm having a hard time getting excited about the Wuhan coronavirus.
Just give it some time.
An annual flu chart would look similar.
It's because the case-to-fatality possibility is significantly higher with the coronavirus than the common flu.
I too am not too worried about the Corona virus, as of yet. But I am fascinated by the traction it is gathering and by how China chose/chooses to deal with the situation.
An annual flu chart would look similar. The CDC estimates there were 45,000,000 cases and 61,000 flu-related deaths in the US during the 2017-18 season. This year is looking even worse. Early estimates are putting the number of deaths in the 90,000 range. And remember that's just the US. Worldwide the number will be a lot bigger than that. I did say I could be wrong. I am just having a hard time getting excited about it.
I remember a line from Stargate SG1 when the US revealed the stargate in a top secret meeting with representatives of other global military powers. The Chinese representative tried to shame the US for keeping it a secret. He then threated to make it known to the Chinese people on the grounds that the Chinese government did not keep secrets from its citizens. Everyone just looked at him blankly without commenting, which made the situation even more humorous.
I'm not all that happy about it myself. The morbidity and mortality rates are pretty high with this new virus. The flu is bad enough as it is.