So when you dismissed my use of the WHO stats to demonstrate the there really isn't any "great" danger unless you are old (80+) and particularly if you are already infirm, I was curious if you were buying into what I would call hysteria.
I was the other person who questioned the statistics, so I'll also chime in.
I was not in any way *dismissing* the WHO stats. I think we've seen in practice, here in the US, that the basic lesson of that chart is true -- the elderly are at MUCH higher risk of mortality from COVID-19 than the bulk of the population.
What I'm saying is that I don't necessarily have any faith that the specific percentages themselves are accurate. For example, with the flu we know enough about it to estimate the total number of cases based on those cases serious enough to be reported, require hospitalization, or be fatal. We don't know NEAR enough about COVID-19 yet to make those estimations.
Thus, my thought is that COVID-19 is probably lower mortality than the reported statistics (due to unreported cases), and that there isn't really any "great" danger unless you are older or have preexisting respiratory or other health issues. No argument on that matter.
As such, I was talking to my boss today and his daughter and her boyfriend are slated to leave for a vacation to Greece tomorrow. She's freaking out, but they stand to lose a significant amount of money if they don't go. They're 29 and 30 years old, and right now Greece has only 89 reported cases. If I was in that position, I'd be getting on that airplane. Yes, it's a risk. But it's not a risk that justifies hysteria given the low incidence and their young age.
At the same time, my parents had been talking about flying here from Denver later this year when my son has a performance for his school. They're both in their late 70's. My dad is overweight and my mom has heart issues. Neither of them should even be considering the trip at this point.
I think the hysteria is overblown, but even when I say that, I do think this is a serious issue. I think the way people are reacting is irrational, but that doesn't mean that there's no risk.