Tesla and SpaceX CEO Elon Musk tried to calm his employees by saying that the threat of death due to traffic accidents was more dangerous than the new coronavirus (COVID-19) that was sweeping the world.
In a written memo, Musk told SpaceX employees that the chances of dying from COVID-19 are less than a traffic accident. However, he did not specify the number of deaths due to traffic accidents.
In the United States, there have been more than 1,600 cases of the new coronavirus, with 40 people dying.
The New York Times quoted health officials as saying that if the spread of corona was not immediately contained, around 160 million to 214 million Americans might be infected.
This isn’t the first time Musk has underestimated COVID-19.
In a tweet last week, he said that “coronavirus panic is stupid.”
“The virality of COVID-19 is exaggerated because the date of diagnosis coalesces with the contraction date and the overestimation continues to emerge. If you continue to overestimate, the virus will exceed what the universe knows,” he said.
“The fatality rate is also very excessive. Because there are so few tests, those who die with respiratory symptoms are tested for COVID-19, but those with mild symptoms are not. The prevalence of coronavirus and other colds in the population is very high,” Musk said.
On the other hand, despite Elon Musk’s opinion, the World Health Organization (WHO) has declared COVID-19 a pandemic. Globally, it has infected more than 132,500 people in 123 countries.
