A positive effect of a higher number of infection is, that it would reduce the fatality rate of the virus.
For example, this video shows someone walking around a hospital in Wuhan, where you see dead bodies in the hallways just sitting around.
That doesn't happen when you only have 100 deaths in the province. That happens when you're so overwhelmed with dead patients that you just can't deal with it fast enough.
If this is true, which I'm inclined to believe, then we're very likely looking at thousands of deaths already.
https://twitter.com/ezracheungtoto/status/122064100006384844...
Shanghai closed all non essential businesses. Schools closed until Feb 17th. Hongkong is in state of emergency.
Several military medical battalions have been deployed overnight in China.
This is not a drill.