While much is confusing on the coronavirus, of this we are certain: It will hurt a lot more people in this country than it will kill.

The news on the coronavirus, almost all of it bad, is moving as quickly as the illness itself, with the cancellation of coveted events all across the country, especially in the world of sports. Way too close to home, the Lumberton High School basketball team, already having made history and a win from doing so again, will either not get the chance to bring home the trophy as the 4A state champions, or will have to wait a month for that opportunity.

Here’s a suggestion for the North Carolina High School Athletic Association: Declare Lumberton High and North Mecklenburg co-champs, make a lot more folks happy with bragging rights, and be done with it.

If you are looking for good news relating to the virus itself, there is some: The evidence is mounting that it is not the killer that it appeared to be, at least in this country — so far. When the number of undiagnosed cases, which is always a calculated guess, is part of the denominator, the mortality rate appears to be about 1%, making it 10 times as deadly as the flu, but not as lethal as earlier guesses of as much as 3.4%. If true, that will most likely add up to tens of thousands of spared lives before we speak of the coronavirus in past tense.

Additionally, it appears that the coronavirus is an ageist, a much bigger threat to people who are 70 or even 80 years old and a diminishing threat the younger a person gets — although, and this matters, anyone can carry it and pass it along.

Also, when confronted with warmer temperatures, the coronavirus isn’t the tough guy that it once was. Spring arrives one week from today, but as we all know, temperatures in recent days have been almost summer-like, and after a mild dip this weekend, will be trending back upward next week.

Americans are getting ready to find out through deprivation just how much they like to be entertained. No only has March Madness become March Sadness, other professional sports are shutting down, the NBA, the PGA Tour, and Major League Baseball, and — oh, no — NASCAR.

Concerts across the country are being canceled or postponed, as are festivals and other events designed to draw a crowd and for a good time to be had.

The good news, we suppose, is those who are attached to their recliners might be forced to get up and move around a bit.

Will this be remembered as an overreaction? We don’t know, but should the coronavirus not live up to its killer billing, then there will be those who say it was — but they should understand that a less-than-feared outbreak might in fact be the result of those prophylactic measures.

There will be many causalities of the disease, those who don’t survive it, as well as those who get sick and recover. But their numbers will be small when compared with those who are hurt financially, bankrupted, put out of a job, etc.

When an NBA basketball game is not played, then pizza slices are not bought. When an MLB game is not played, hot dogs go uneaten. When a concert is not performed, then T-shirts are not sold.

When people don’t travel, hotel rooms stay empty, gasoline is not needed to fill up the car, and restaurants don’t have people to serve.

So we encourage normalcy to the degree that can be achieved, and that needs to come with clean hands, social distance and making wise decisions.

Many of us will complain when there is no college basketball to watch, or concert to see. If that is all you have to complain about in a few months, then the coronavirus was kind to you.