The media does this for every viral outbreak, and this one is no different. They always talk about how the virus has a 1% kill rate, and tell us not to worry, every single time.

It's done because whether this is serious or not, us panicking will cause some serious problems. There is probably an agreement between media companies and government, acting on advice of places like the CDC and WHO, to avoid sensationalizing stories like this, to avoid runs on the bank/food stores and other kinds of chaos.