What is making this flu being taken more seriously?. What am I missing?
Because what they call serious is when you have to go to the hospital. And regular flu very very few ever get hospitalized for it.
You go to the doctor, get your prescription, and go on about your day for regular flu if you didn't get vaccinated for it before flu season.
This one strain there is no vaccines or cure, you're going to be sick for at least a month or two, older people who have diabetes or something else that compromised their immune systems have a small chance at recovery. (They die). This accounts for roughly 12% of the population. Which, when you look at Italy, the peak of the total number of people who are going to be sick at the same time hasn't happened yet...but the hospitals are overwhelmed already.
Meaning that if you catch this and you have some kind of medicine you take on a regular basis you don't have a good chance of getting better. People don't go to work when sick...there's no one working at the grocery store and the shelves are empty anyway because deliveries aren't getting done.
The gas stations run out of gasoline because they haven't had any deliveries. (Drivers are sick)
Fast food? Nope...not happening.
Movies, power, water, and gas work intermittently.
It becomes like every zombie movie out there except for the zombies chasing you.