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You can say "don't panic" without misleading people by using numbers completely out of context. By comparing the number of Corona virus cases and deaths to the

by remus 7y ago

You can say "don't panic" without misleading people by using numbers completely out of context. By comparing the number of Corona virus cases and deaths to the annual flu deaths he is implying that the number of deaths from Corona virus in the US is low and the risk is negligible, and while it is currently low this completely misses the point that in other countries it has proven to be extremely contagious and has a much higher mortality rate than flu. In other words, there is a significant risk if adequate steps aren't taken to reduce the risk of transmission. See: Italy, China.

BlargMcLarg 7y ago
Its misuse of the term "don't panic". "Don't panic" should mean "remain calm yet vigilant", not "stop being a crybaby and follow everyday life like a good sheep". Panicking doesn't make sense unless you wish to activate people who wouldn't otherwise, and neither does misleading people with poor, incomplete or flat-out wrong statistics. Pretty sure that's why the term "don't panic" gets a bad rep: one party means to be serious but calm, the other party uses it as means to ridicule those who err on the side of caution.