Italy has a very high IFR of 1%, the same rate as their every year flu epidemic. Or better very two years. The flu comes every two years.
Italy has traditionally the highest flu death rates in the world. This year, with COVID-19, it is still lower than in a bad flu year.
When you read 15% this might be the CFR, the case fatality rate. But only about a tenth is getting tested. So it means nothing.
You can only look the death numbers, and after it settled down at the excess death rate. From there you get the real IFR. So far we are at an IFR of 0.3 - 0.6. A little bit higher than the flu, but in absolute numbes lower than a bad flu year.
IIRC, Italy had a health care professional study that put their IFR at something around .35% or so. Similar for Germany, and the CDC just did a study of HCP's here and came up with 0.26% IFR (but the sample was 75% women).
When you read 15% this might be the CFR, the case fatality rate. But only about a tenth is getting tested. So it means nothing. You can only look the death numbers, and after it settled down at the excess death rate. From there you get the real IFR. So far we are at an IFR of 0.3 - 0.6. A little bit higher than the flu, but in absolute numbes lower than a bad flu year.