I'm no doctor of course.. but disregarding China and what they report.. we do have hard numbers from outside China and there is a difference between the mortality rates (disregarding Iran for several reasons) between the two countries most affected. That are neither totalitarian as China nor blatently corrupt and politically self serving as ours.  One has a much higher rate of mortality and both similar in pertient ways.  Very close in smoking rates, high percentage in older populations, modern densely packed soceities with excellent health care.  

perhaps it isn't a mutation per se but genetic. It is entierely possible that asians are more resistant to this than westerners. Be it diet, genetics.. whatever. For what S.K. has reported.. yes I can see a plausibility of the possibility that there was much less impact on the Chinese people than it might here upon us in the west. 

anyhow.. the numbers are what they are for a comparitable soceity to ours. Italy and this virus is not a world ender.. but is likely to be a world changer.  It isn't the f**king flu. Mortality rate appears to be in the 2-4 percent range which is much much higher than the common bug or influenza.

I was thinking of this last night we have not heard much from Russia, they have been "quiet". I'm also concerned about southern hemisphere countries as they come out of summer and enter their flu season, Brazil especially.

^ Except he could get sick too.   Hopefully we'll all have some natural immunities a year or two from now, and we''ll just have to live with this strain of flu like we do other viruses.

Bolivia is already under total lockdown,, total quarantine.. it has already spread to the southern atmosphere 

and summer/winter.. doesn't matter. cases reported all over in hot tropical/equatorer regions..  it isn't a seasonal bug..either showing up.. or disappearing depending the temperature or season.