It's interesting that I haven't seen the case fatality rate statistic used anymore. Instead, I see a generic "mortality" used instead, and quote about 20-25% because about 1 out of 4 or 5 confirmed cases have died. The thing is, many of those patients are still in the midst of being sick so we don't know which way they will go yet.

There's an equal number of patients who have died as have recovered, so the case fatality rate is 50%, not 20%, and is a more appropriate measure of the lethality of H7N9 during the midst of an epidemic than the "mortality" statistic being bounced around the news.

Remember, in comparison, the Spanish Flu had a case fatality rate (or since it's over and done with, a mortality rate) of 2-3%.