Someone did the research on the deaths in Italy and apparently 99% of those that died had some other severe illness.
Very few people that are healthy succumb to this virus. The worst part is the pneumonia if you don't get that, you'll be ok like the lady above.
Still, the US with all its untreated pre-existing conditions and general poor healthcare access will look like Italy and perhaps worse if the outbreak goes big.
The US does have significant state resources to handle a crisis like this though, something that Italy lacks.
You can't keep everything closed for 18 months, but the truth is, you may have to because the moment you lift the ban, the virus may come back in a big way. It's not economically feasible though. Having an increasing population without money or jobs brings with it a whole new set of problems.
The Dutch decided to not lockdown for this reason. Our PM emphasized that if you lockdown you don't only have to wait until you beat the virus, but you need to wait for the world to be 'safe'.
He said it could be up to 3 years before a vaccine would've finally reached all corners of the world and the virus is eradicated ('if' that ever happens). I think that if Italy is through this very bad peak they're experiencing they're also going back to mitigation.
Suppression seems more aimed at preventing the healthcare services from breaking down than trying to contain the virus or the spread.
In fact at some point in the near future our government intends to remove some regulations again as the most vulnerable are either treated (or already dead).
