Having an emergency plan and basic supplies is never a bad idea. I keep extra food, medical supplies, and other stuff around.

But healthcare has come a long way since the bubonic plague and Spanish Flu. Bubonic Plague can be treated with oral antibiotics. Spanish Flu would have been a lot less deadly if we’d had the kind of supportive care we have today. Living conditions and sanitation are so much better now in much of the world.

I get it, my favorite book is The Stand. This definitely won’t even approach Spanish Flu levels. Medicine has changed so much since then. People are dying but that’s what happens to vulnerable people. We don’t know their medical history, if they have compromised immune systems. If their respiratory systems are weakened by pollution and smoking, both widespread in China.

I don’t trust the Chinese government more than the average person, but there are so many westerners in China. If healthy young people were dropping dead, if people were dying in huge numbers, there would be leaks from western expats and evacuees. People are curious creatures, they notice things and word gets out.