For weeks the media told you it was wrong to worry about the coronavirus, a mysterious, highly communicable, lethal disease spreading rapidly around the world. If that concerns you in any way, if you think maybe we ought to take some steps to protect ourselves from it, then you're a bigot.

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"Coronavirus panic is racist profiling against Asians," lectured some arrogant moron at Slate.com. A writer of The Seattle Times warned that "yellow peril racism" was the real epidemic fear and so on.

Countless publications wagged their fingers in the face of readers and told them it was irrational – probably immoral, in fact – to worry more about the coronavirus than the annual flu. Identity politics trumped public health and not for the first time. "Wokeness" is a cult. They'd let you die before they admitted that diversity is not our strength.

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So fast forward to today. What began as a regional outbreak in the city of Wuhan, China is now spreading across Europe. Parts of Italy are shut down. Catholic services and in some places funerals have been suspended indefinitely.

In some grocery stores in Milan – that's Italy's industrial capital – the shelves are bare. Panicked shoppers are buying in bulk as in a natural disaster, which this is – and it is moving fast.

Identity politics trumped public health and not for the first time. "Wokeness" is a cult.

South Korea has confirmed close to 1,000 cases of the disease so far. Japan is reporting infections at the same level. The virus has even been reported in Iran. At least 12 people have died there so far, but one lawmaker says the real death toll is at least 50. Apparently international sanctions don't stop the coronavirus.

On Friday, the Centers for Disease Control warned that it is "possible, even the likely" that America will have a general coronavirus outbreak as well. That shouldn't surprise you. China is the world's most sophisticated authoritarian government. Its leaders have shut down entire cities, dragged people from their homes in an effort to curb coronavirus, but it hasn't worked.

Officials in our country have reported about three dozen cases of the virus in the U.S. so far, but that's a misleading number. The truth is, we have no real idea how many Americans are infected.

Why? Here's why: As of Sunday, only three public health labs in the entire country were properly equipped to detect the virus. Fewer than 500 people in America have even been tested for coronavirus out of a population of 327 million – for real. Keep in mind that five and a half million people ride the New York City subway every day.

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Worried yet? This could be serious. How likely is an epidemic in the United States? Are we ready for it if it comes? How many could die?

It's time for real answers to the most basic questions about coronavirus.

Adapted from Tucker Carlson's monologue from "Tucker Carlson Tonight" on Feb. 24, 2020.

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