The infectious nature of this thing is absolutely terrifying.
The rate of infection is the reason for all the panic by authorities.
Covid is not more lethal than SARS-1 and some flus, but what it can do is make a huge number of people very sick all at once. That makes healthcare systems collapse and people who otherwise could be saved will die.
This experience will have brought some benefit if we return drug and medical manufacturing back to the US; having became reliant on China for all of that is dangerously stupid if not criminal.