Some quick things, the R0 doesn't specify the time it takes to spread, just the number of people that get infected per already infected person on average. A dis

Some quick things, the R0 doesn't specify the time it takes to spread, just the number of people that get infected per already infected person on average. A disease that has an R0 of 3 but that takes a month to become infectious would spread slower (to begin with) than one with an R0 of 2 but infectious after day 1. A lower fatality rate in a higher population can cause more deaths. 10% of 1000 is smaller than 5% of 1000000. But more importantly, something that is more obvious and more quickly restricted will spread less. SARS had an R0 of 2-4 but with control measures in place that dropped to 0.4 (figures from Wikipedia).