Chris Wallace Presses Dr. Birx on Whether U.S. ‘Underestimated’ Virus: ‘Did We Reopen Too Soon?’

Fox News’ Chris Wallace spoke with Dr. Deborah Birx Sunday and questioned her about how the coronavirus models they publicly shared with the public have differed from the reality thus far.

Wallace showed Birx comments she and President Donald Trump made early on before asking, “Early this coming week we’re going to reach 100,000 deaths from the coronavirus and those models that you were citing now talk about close to 150,000 deaths by August. What happened, doctor?”

“I think a few things are together. So from the beginning, and I think when we had that first briefing we talked about 1.2 million to 2.4 million and 100,000 to 240,000 people succumbing to this incredibly aggressive virus,” she responded. “Those are the figures that we continue to stand by in this first wave and really understanding how to prevent future hospitalizations and future deaths is really what we’re focused on every single day.”

Wallace pressed further and told Birx, “A month ago, you were saying we were going to come down below the low end of the model, which is 100,000 to 240,000 to 60,000.”

“In this last month, did you underestimate the strength of the virus? Did we reopen too soon? Did we reopen without sufficient restrictions?” he asked.

“What I was saying in that briefing that you were talking about is what that current model was showing,” Birx answered. “There are different models we have been using all along and really trying to learn primarily, not just for models, but understanding what has happened in Spain and Italy and the U.K. and really tracking those numbers.”

Wallace also asked if Birx is concerned about big crowds of people gathering together during Memorial Day weekend. Birx reiterated the importance of social distancing and wearing masks.

You can watch above, via Fox News Sunday.