[airstrike]

I'd like to note that so far we only know the mortality rate under the assumption that every patient that needs to be hospitalized (~18% of infected looking at NY's numbers) receives treatment. That is why the elderly and people with underlying health conditions are dying – they can't survive being in an ICU with a nasty disease a lot of the time.

Once we run out of beds and ventilators, the picture will look very different. I don't know about you, but I'm not old but I'd much rather be in a hospital if I have a nasty case of pneumonia, but we certainly can't fit 40-80% of the population in hospitals, let alone have enough health workers to treat them.

[taeric]

I'm not sure what you are claiming.

This article would imply that Italy was coming closer to saturation on hospitals before this virus. Not claiming that this virus wasn't worse. The implication is they were closing to a topping point than elsewhere.

It does fit, in that so far Italy is the outlier, not anyone else. Japan, in particular, but also Norway, Germany, and most of the US.

I think Spain throws a but of a wrench at this, but don't have that looked at handily.