The German study found a .37% death rate.
This sounds about right. It is still almost 4x the death rate of influenza.
Taiwan had 6 deaths total as of yesterday and they never had a lockdown because they were prepared for a pandemic with N95 masks for everyone.
Lockdowns are necessary to control infection rates when social distancing measures are unable to control exponential spread. Taiwan is an excellent example of how taking this disease seriously with aggressive, early measures were able to keep cases and infectivity low and avoid lockdowns. They had a pretty gradual closing of travel from China but were very aggressive with testing, communication and preparing its population. Countries that didn't take Covid19 seriously and were slow to act ran out of options and had to resort to lockdowns.
Here is a timeline of their actions from their CDC
Jan 6: All travellers from Wuhan with symptoms to report cases
Jan 9: Screen and potentially test all passengers on flights from Wuhan and masks for all symptomatic within 14 days
Jan 21: First case. Wuhan travel level 3: avoid all non-essential travel. Preparation for epidemic: quarantine measures in all ports, communication across govt agencies and public, battling fake news and panic to avoid mask shortages, preparing hospitals.
Jan 24: No air travel to Wuhan. All healthy people regardless of travel to practice hygeine and avoid crowded places. Regardless of travel stay home, wear mask and avoid public places if sick.
Jan 25: expand testing and reviews to all symptomatic travellers arriving in Taiwan
Jan 28: All of China travel level 3. Home isolation, contact tracing of all cases (8 confirmed)
Jan 29: Guidance for public transport, education, public gatherings to reduce infection rates
Jan 30: Domestically produced masks requisitioned and distributed by govt by need.
Feb 2: All travellers from China are to avoid health care facilties and health care workers for 14 days, particularly health care workers returning from China.
Feb 2: Start of school postponed 2 weeks.
Feb 3: All business people evacuated from Wuhan placed in single room isolation for 14 days.
Feb 4: Some stores cannot sell masks. Pharmacies distribute masks for govt, limiting masks to 2 per health care card per week at a fixed price. Masks not needed for healthy people unless visiting hospital or has chronic illnesses, to ration use.
Feb 5: Cruise ships from high risk places or with suspected cases banned from docking.
Feb 6: All Chinese nationals banned from entering. HK and Macau travellers self quarantine for 14 days.
Feb 10: 14D quarantine of all travellers from china and suspension of all flights from China except for a few major airports.
Feb 15: 14D quarantine travellers from all countries with endemic covid19
Feb 24: Mobile phone quarantine tracking required for all travellers from China
Mar 5: Public gatherings guidance.
Mar 14: Europe level 3 travel restriction
Mar 18: US, Canada, Australia, NZ level 3 travel restriction
Mar 22: All air travel suspended
Apr 1: Social distancing phase one. 1.5m. Masks in public. Avoid public events (ie entertainment) Preparation for phase 2.
Apr 3: 14D quarantine all travellers. Designated vehicles for return travellers getting home.
Apr 6: 14D quarantine for people who went to any crowded tomb sweeping festival sites.
Apr 7: expanding testing and hospital capacity
Apr 8: mobile phone quarantine app voluntarily for all in quarantine.
Apr 9: close all host/hostess clubs and ballrooms
Apr 10: crowd control measures in popular sites