Best post on this thread thus far. 100% agree. I'm flabbergasted at how this hasn't moved markets in the slightest (though it probably will today). China has been flirting with recession for 8 years, something's gonna give and the longer they pump it up the worse it'll be. Hope I'm wrong. At any rate trusting the "market" to reflect reality is like trusting the number of infected/dead that China is reporting. Best of luck.
To those who still misunderstand the basics:
1. No one is saying "panic". I'm saying: pay attention, watch for patterns, be prepared to take action, and employ precautions early. We're already seeing that our diagnostics are not identifying infected individuals accurately enough.
2. The data is still largely random noise. R0 will not reflect reality for months. We're getting a first hand account of the randomness w/ yesterday's jump in numbers. Follow the numbers but don't use them as a guide for where things stand. Way too early.
3. Using the population of a region as a means for saying "it's not that bad" is absolutely meaningless when dealing with a contagious entity that has exponential growth potential.
4. Ignore most media accounts and treat CDC/WHO statements with extreme skepticism/caution. Also ignore (or chastise) anyone who says "it's over", "relax it's fine", or compares this outbreak with car accidents, the flu, measles, or any other known risk. They are clueless.
5. Infectious disease (and other unpredictable risks) need better global management and earlier response times....circuit breakers, if you will. The warning signs were there in December.