[lepton]

A virus that has a higher percentage of death does not make it deadlier. […] It has more deaths associated with it than does the coronavirus.

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Yep. Deadliness is infectiousness*lethality. Infectiousness is limited from transmittal rate by how long it takes symptoms to appear, how quick those with it die, and the number of susceptible individuals.

The flu is deadlier, period.

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That’s an open question, since COVID-19 is still in the growth part of the curve, and even counting China’s numbers only a little more than half are recovered from it (or died) yet.

[Robert DeLong]

In addition we do not know if there are people who are infected but show no symptoms even though they may have been infected beyond the normal recognized incubation time. Of there are then that would drive the percentage rate down. There are just too many unknowns at this time. It’s a big story that has captured the attention of a lot of people, so the news organizations feed those obsessed with fear because it is good for business, and to hell with public safety concerns.