To wonder what would/could have been done differently things if the C19 mortality rate was much higher?

[GrumpiestOldWoman]

Coronavirus is very virulent and more lethal than flu. Governments around the world are throwing everything at their response and yet there are still problems sourcing enough testing capacity, distributing PPE, etc.

However it could just as easily have been a significantly more deadly virus circulating now with a death rate tens of times higher.

I find it terrifying to wonder what more could the government have done supposing the mortality rate of C19 had actually been 30%+ of everyone who contracted it.

YANBU to wonder but being terrified about it is daft.

Ok, highly alarming then

I certainly worry about the state of things to come.

Something like Ebola or Anthrax is terrifying

Who'd have thought 3 months ago that all this would be happening.

The other dimension, OP, would be that if the death rate was highest in children or 'healthy' adults than the elderly. Those happy to throw the elderly under a bus would presumably think differently.

As the UK government seem to have scenario planned a 'flu pandemic with a higher death rate with the expected results around the need for ventilators, testing, lockdown and so on but then done no active preparations based on cost and not triggered anything in January/February, perhaps we'd be where we are, even with a virus with a death rate of 20-30%? Being charitable, South Korea seem to be handling COVID effectively after a review of handling SARS poorly and investing on the back of that.

The thing about diseases like SARS and Ebola is that they don't spread as effectively. I read somewhere that this is evolutionary. If a disease was very virulent with a high mortality rate, it would kill itself out