a) a faster spreading version of flu, which produces a greater overall quantity of severe cases, could be mistaken for a more virulent flu... which is what I believe most reports are doing now
b) the unprecedented lock down is because of the origins of the virus
There are also other hints that line up with this. The mortality rate in the recent 1000+ case study seems to be much higher in males, but the rate of smoking in China is also much higher in males, which could be a clue.
a) a faster spreading version of flu, which produces a greater overall quantity of severe cases, could be mistaken for a more virulent flu... which is what I believe most reports are doing now
b) the unprecedented lock down is because of the origins of the virus