I found this to be a sobering read:
https://www.theatlantic.com/health/arch ... ne/607000/
COVID-19 is a virus which is not too lethal (like SARS, MERS), and possibly there are many carriers that don't have symptoms worse than a mild flu, hence don't go to a doctor, don't get checked. The people that do are, after all, the ones that are more ill already (which also means the lethality might be lower than the reported 2%).
Viruses that are not lethal or mildly so tend to spread further and be difficult to contain, because they are difficult to recognize. Which leads some health experts to expect COVID will just be a new entry to the regular flu wave. Many people will get it, the majority will not experience it as more than a minor nuisance. There are already 3 coronaviruses that can cause the 'common cold'. This would be number 4, causing a somewhat worse cold maybe.
If that all is the case, this year is gonna suck because people are in panic mode. But it also means in the long run we need to learn to live with it; we can't go on canceling life.