I think this is the difference between velocity and acceleration. Flu deaths are known and well studied. Our hospital system has the capacity to treat serious c

I think this is the difference between velocity and acceleration. Flu deaths are known and well studied. Our hospital system has the capacity to treat serious cases. There are existing public health initiatives around vaccination and education. The resources have been allotted and accounted for and flu deaths aren't expect to suddenly 10x or 20x. This virus is an unknown. It is spreading worldwide very quickly and the growth rate is exponential. Within months, hundreds of millions could be infected without interventions. Today the number of dead is very small. If the virus were to become as common as the flu, it could make infectious disease the leading cause of death, more than heart disease or cancer. We still don't know what the long term health complications are or if you can be re-infected. The science will be in shortly, but in the mean time an abundance of caution would seem to be warranted. I will be washing my hands until then.