In addition to this piece, there is this interview with Harvard Epidemiologist Marc Lipsitch [1]:

Whatever the number is, it's gonna take a toll. If it really does spread as widely as that projection says, and that's what I think is likely to happen, then there are gonna be millions of people dying. And I don't think there's any way to get around that. And so I think there's real reason for people to be concerned. I also think that we can turn that concern into actions that will make the situation better.

I think pieces like this and the linked interview with Marc Lipsitch, which are clear-eyed reads on the situation from experts, should break through to the general public so they can take some action.

[1] https://www.cbsnews.com/news/coronavirus-infection-outbreak-...