H-2-H and all:
This is real to an unknown extent. Look at CDC's Map. You will see 3 states that did not report cases. That means they are not testing yet or they are simply not reporting. Around March 5, there were about 40 states without testing. Until testing is going on full throttle in the U. S., we won't even know the extent of COVID-19 here. CDC has posted 1,629 cases for the past 2 days. That's nonsense. The number of cases is dependent on testing.
Look at the World Health Organization's (WHO) situation reports. They post one each day. (CDC is posting their own now also.) WHO posts tables with each report. Scroll down and you will see China's provinces. The number of cases there have been around 81,000 cases for a number of days and COVID-19 may have stalled there. We don't really know because we don't know the extent of China's testing. Hubei, China is where this started. It accounts for most of the cases in Cina and nearly all of the deaths. Is that because it was the first hit and they learned how to deal with it? I don't know.
Look at Europe and how the cases are ramping. It may be because they are finally testing. In the past few days, health authorities have said that COVID-19 stays in the body for up to 37 days--longer than the common flu. Cases may be so mild that those infected may not know it. On the other hand, COVID-19 cases can be fatal. We don't know if it is spreading rapidly or if it is already in our population waiting for the population to be tested. I've been following this closely because it is affecting my personal life. What we know is:
we don't want to be a carrier of COVID-19,
we don't want to be in ill-health if we do get infected,
we don't know the extent of COVID-19 in the world population or any population for that matter,
we don't know the mortality rate because we don't know the population with COVID-19 and probably never will.
In short, we don't know _ _ _ _ yet about it but probably will in 2021.
For me, I upset the closest person to me by going out in the world on an unnecessary excursion and am now staying inside unless I must go out.