[jonathanstrange]

I agree with you and just want to add that anyone who thinks a 1.5% death rate is low fails at elementary arithmetics, since without measures and without vaccine we'd have to expect at least 80% to be infected eventually within 1-2 years.

Luckily, the estimates for the true Infection Fatality Ratio (IFR) are lower, between 0.6% to 0.7%, for industrialized nations. That's still a very high high number if we don't keep the disease in check or don't get a vaccine.