I'd been asking this question myself for the last week. This graph from the NY Times on Friday finally helped me understand: https://www.nytimes.com/interactiv

I'd been asking this question myself for the last week. This graph from the NY Times on Friday finally helped me understand: https://www.nytimes.com/interactive/2020/world/asia/china-coronavirus-contain.html#virulence https://www.nytimes.com/interactive/2020/world/asia/china-co... But I think you're right: a big part of the panic right now seems to be the uncertainty.