Like most infections of this type, those most likely to die are the elderly or those with weakened immune systems. I read somewhere that it's possible that Coronavirus may end up being added to the list of recurring seasonal infections like the cold and flu (Coronavirus is in the same family as the cold virus). It's also likely to mutate, so coming up with an effective vaccine may be difficult. The best defense at this point may be a dose of "clean living" - eat well, exercise, reduce stress, etc.
Not in the same family as cold, more like flu. Has hemagglutinin surface proteins similar to flu. There are people working on a vaccine, but by the time they develop it, test, get FDA approval, we'll already be on to the next epidemic. Just wash your hands (good old soap and water), don't go one knuckle deep into your nose, try not to rub your eyes so much, and don't chew your nails. These are the best things you can do right now.
This whole thing is interesting though from a social perspective. A little panic and hype may be good when it comes to stopping the spread, too much is not good because people are fools. Lets see where this goes. I think the CDC and NIH are using this as a dry run to gather data on public reaction, test some different containment strategies out, map out how this spreads for when the big one comes along some day. We've had 16-17000 deaths so far in the 2019-2020 flu season, so flu is way more deadly. There probably be a big one some day, nature always wins.
