I've been solidly in the middle on this thing, but the people who compare it to flu shock me the most. It doesn't take a lot of effort to realize this is a lot worse. The biggest question has always been about the spread. SARS killed at a way higher rate (close to 10%), but it was a pretty contained outbreak. Flu is more widely spread, but kills at a lower rate. If this thing hits the sweet spot in the middle, it's going to be very bad. As the link I posted in the main thread suggests, officials are saying it is inevitable for it to spread in the U.S.
Will most of us be affected? Probably not. Will we know people who catch it? Most likely. Will you die if currently healthy? Not likely. If you lose a parent, grandparent or child...