THURSDAY 5 MARCH 2020Covid-19 death rate must be
treated with caution
Nurses care for patients infected with coronavirus in Beijing (AP)
SHAUN LINTERN
The World Health Organisation sparked a flurry of speculation yesterday after its latest analysis of the
global coronavirus outbreak suggested the death rate from the disease was much higher than previously
thought.
In a potentially worrying escalation, WHO director general Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus said that
globally around 3.4 per cent of Covid-19 cases have died. It had previously been estimated at 2 per cent or
below.
So what should we take from this new figure? Is it cause to panic and worry further? Well on one hand it is