IMHO I think it is inevitable that we will all contract this virus to some degree, with some becoming more ill than others and the fatalities will continue on just like the flu, but this virus is much more contagious. As far as I know, it is still not known whether or not people will build immunity; so I believe that there is a possibility that there is more than one strain floating around out there and that is why it affects some people very mildly and other people who are otherwise healthy are dying.
As we get into the warmer months, it is seeming unlikely that heat and humidity will have an impact on this virus. We are now starting to see our normal high humidity in FL and it hasn't made any substantial difference.
A vaccine is still over a year away and certainly we can't sustain stagnating the economy and trying to prop up everyone that has been told to shelter in. What if indeed there is more than one strain out there? Will the vaccine truly protect people or will it only be effective against certain strains like the seasonal flu?
That's the big problem here. There is still far more that is unknown about this pernicious virus than is known. We know that it is twice as contagious as the flu, and that, as you have said, some people spread it who are asymptomatic (not true with the flu), some people are getting it who just stay home and recover, some people who are completely healthy get it and a few days later are dead, and those who die suffer horribly.
Health care workers on the front lines are not at risk from the flu are getting sick and dying from this. Because this is so widespread and world wide there is not enough protective equipment to keep them safe. Others have continued to compare this to deaths from car accidents and heart attacks, but no emergency responder has ever died from someone else's car accident or heart attack.
This thing is deadly, and we just don't know enough about it yet to know what is ahead.
Staying at home is only going to be possible for so long, and the numbers I have heard are that 40 to 80 percent of us will get this eventually.
Even though there are a few here who keep arguing that it's not the case, this IS an unprecedented illness requiring unprecedented measures to contain it until treatments can be developed, and eventually, God willing, an effective vaccine.
