Update… Oh,FFS:

Clade X: A Mock, Yet Entirely Plausible, Pandemic

Seems I got snookered by 2018-level journalism.

Clade X virus can kill 900 million people across globe if not checked, says study

This bit is a little bit of a head-scratcher:

Clade X virus could be the next pandemic scare and the world is not prepared to face it, showed studies conducted by the Johns Hopkins Center for Health Security. With no vaccination and no drugs to cure it yet, Clade X can kill 900 million people across the globe covering about 10% of the world’s population.

Ummm… current planetary population is about 7.6 billion. If the disease covers 10% of the population – 760 million – and kills 900 million, that would seem to indicate it can kill people who don’t even have it. Woo.

But aside from the clumsy description, Clade X seems to be a fabulous little killer, spread by coughing. Woo.