Because it is new, growing and with no cure as of yet. So the current figures for those with the virus and those who have died from the virus are not necessarily representative of what those figures might be if the virus spreads unabated. We have vaccines against flu and even though the figures are vastly higher, outbreaks can usually be controlled by known methods. We only need a few months of the spread of the virus at the current rate of infection and mortality and the flu figures will seem comparatively small. I think I read it is doubling every 5 days. Just do the math on that and the figures soon become enormous. 1k (say today), then 2k, 4k, 8k, 16k, 32k, 64k, 128k, 256k, 512k, 1024k and 2048k after 2 months. That’s over 2 million. Do another 2 months and you are looking at 4,096 million infected.
