What does it mean if you’re over 60? According to mortality rate data from the Chinese Center for Disease Control, those infected by the virus in Hubei province between January and February ages 50-59 had a 1.3 percent fatality rate compared to .09 percent to .18 percent for 20-39 year olds (this data includes Wuhan where the virus is said to originate).

Once you hit 60 years of age, the numbers dramatically increase. The mortality rate for 60-79 is anywhere from 4.6 percent to 9.8 percent. And the fatality rate for anyone 80 or older doubles to 18 percent. The death rate for anyone below 50 stays below 1 percent.

Unlike the common flu, Dr. Anthony Fauci, director of the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Disease, called the coronavirus strain COVID-19 “more lethal” — citing numbers from the World Health Organization showing it’s 10 times more lethal than the flu.

In the United States, around 52 million people are 65 or older (data from 2018). If the coronavirus continues to spread in the US at the same rate it has in other countries, it would mean tens of millions of older adults could be infected. If that’s the case, and the fatality rate stays around 20 percent, it could prove fatal for millions of older adults unless federal or state officials enforce stricter isolation measures immediately.

A March 14 ProPublica report citing all the available data from the Chinese Center for Disease Control reveals that the death rates by age compared to the common flu remain strikingly different: