Just reported NYT numbers, as mainstream media finally realising it's more serious than the common flu.

Death rate varies over time. So both rates estimated at different times can be accurate.

In the beginning over 60% of infected patients were dying. Probably due to host of factors, such as unaware they're infected with something other than common flu, and the disease quickly killing people with compromised health. Also as people become aware of the disease they more likely to get checked out.

So would always expect the death rate to drop, it was just hard to see it fall to flu like rates.


Edit: Ah I see the problem, NYT have edited the article. Can't find the original version, but here is USA Today with the same claim.
https://eu.usatoday.com/story/news/natio...vid/4792597002/


Edit2: Found an archive http://archive.is/r6gRV

"Coronavirus Live Updates: Disease Roughly 20 Times Deadlier Than Seasonal Flu
Official figures from China suggest that the disease caused by the coronavirus has a fatality rate of at least 2.3 percent. By contrast the flu’s fatality rate in the United States is 0.1 percent."