The Centers for Disease Control estimates the coronavirus may have infected 10 times more Americans than known, nearly 24 million, meaning the infection fatality rate is no higher than one half of 1%. That percentage, which is higher than other current estimates, nevertheless sharply contrasts with the alarming estimate of 3.4% announced March 3 by the director general of the World Health Organization, Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesusin, which fueled the global lockdowns.

In fact, Dr. Anthony Fauci, the top White House infectious disease expert, co-authored an article published March 26 in the New England Journal of Medicine predicting the case fatality rate for the coronavirus would turn out to be like that of a "severe seasonal influenza."

In an exceptionally bad flu season, the rate is about one-tenth of 1 percent, the authors wrote.