Coronavirus: Largest study suggests elderly and sick are most at risk
The conclusions are of little informational value as the same is going to apply to practically any pathogen-borne disease (unless a vast group of the elderly had the chance to acquire prior immunity, as is the case with some strains of flu being similar to those from the past, in which case younger people are at a relative disadvantage).<p>What is more important to realize about the virus is that (1) a death rate of 2% (20 times that of flu) would still be considerable given its relatively high infectivity rate and long incubation period, and that (2) the fact that 20% of the cases require hospitalization would put a significant strain on even the best healthcare systems should it become widespread.<p>Separately, any data-based inferences are only as good as the underlying data, and there have been some doubts as to the completeness and veracity of data available. Even the WHO chief has effectively spoken to that effect.