Bill Gates wrote a fairly cogent op-end explaining why we should be taking this seriously: https://www.nejm.org/doi/full/10.1056/NEJMp2003762 https://www.nejm.

Bill Gates wrote a fairly cogent op-end explaining why we should be taking this seriously: https://www.nejm.org/doi/full/10.1056/NEJMp2003762 https://www.nejm.org/doi/full/10.1056/NEJMp2003762 The short answer is the combination of a high transmission rate and the ability to transmit the virus while asymptomatic means the number of infected people will grow exponentially. The Spanish flu had a transmission rate lower than Covid-19 and ultimately ended up infecting a third of the world's population, and that was before mass air travel was a thing. If Covid-19 reaches anywhere near that level there will be millions of deaths. It is true that if you are young and healthy the mortality rate is low, but a 15% mortality rate in 80+ year olds and 8% in 70-80 year olds is pretty serious.