The first coronavirus death in the United States has taken place. The fatality rate of coronavirus (dubbed COVID-19) in China is 3%; elsewhere, it is 1%. We do not know how those figures will evolve, for how long, or with what consequences.

But the real story of coronavirus is not its statistics: COVID-19 is really only a symptom of a greater disaster. The real story of this virus is that we are living in a world where fundamental security, our literal survival, depends on China, and Beijing is proving itself to be a bad actor.