Dr. Fauci said the common flu's rate is 0.1% and this virus is 0.9-1.0% which rounds up to 10 time worse. That figure of 3.4 was suspected after it first came out due to lack of data.
And, all this talk about "herd immunity" is being bandied about as if we're all back in the 14th century. It's been noticed on certain sites and other forms of programming and media but not at all used by the medical community while informing the public.
No doctor, in their right mind, is telling people to go out and get yourself infected. Quite the opposite. Just the herd mentality in some, here.
The purpose of using current data and keeping the public informed is to flatten the curve. Just go back and read the link that snapsc posted. It's a long read but I'm sure you can do it.
And, when politics interjects itself into medicine and how it affects the community at large, it's kinda hard to separate the two, but we're doing our best. To bring it up as an argument because you don't wanna hear it is being political, dontcha think?
All the best,
Nonoise