Here’s what doesn’t make sense to me: if this virus is actually more widespread than the data suggests, then the mortality rate would be even lower and reveal this virus to be what I suspect: more hype and fear mongering than anything else. Otherwise, how can we explain the South Korean data? That country has done more testing per capita than any other, and it’s mortality rate is only 0.3%.

As for why Italy’s death rate is so high, I have no clue. I have noticed, however, that the birth rate in Europe has been falling for decades, and the population skews older, which would make it more vulnerable to the virus. But that leads to yet another puzzling aspect of this outbreak: if it’s contagious as it seems, and given the EU’s porous borders, why aren’t Italy’s neighboring countries as infested with COVID-19 as Italy is? What’s different about Italy? Does it’s population skew a LOT older?

There is something very odd going on here. I can’t put my finger on it, but what’s happening — especially during an election year — reeks of high strangeness.