It actually makes perfect sense when you think about it. Coronaviruses usually can’t cause “significant human disease”. Since this is a “Gain of Function” Super Bug made in a lab now it’s in the wild it is already attenuating. It sounds like the CFR in January in China was a lot higher than 5%. So at 1 generation a day in about 100 generations it has already lost a lot of it’s “punch”. It “might” keep attenuating right down to the usual “native” lethality of Coronavirus which is “wimp”. IOW this may be why they felt they could “play” with this bug, it’s a wimp. Who knows? Another 100 generations and the CFR could be half what it is now. And again as much in another 100 generations. It ain’t the “world killer” but it is one hell of a wake up.
I am not sure that it has lost it's punch. I believe that in very tightly packed places people tend to get a high viral load on first contact. In places like where my wife and I live most people currently being infected get a much smaller dose and healthy immune systems can fight it off without the victim being aware of any symptoms. This is one possible benefit from “social distancing”.
I do not believe that the red Chinese or anyone else could have predicted the massive worldwide panic and over reaction this has created even in a US election year. If it is related to the lab, it would seem to be sloppiness and simple stupidity that caused it to get out.