Fox News anchor Martha MacCallum blamed “incorrect” coronavirus projection models for being the “biggest push points” for the ongoing nationwide economic shutdowns.
Appearing on a Wednesday afternoon segment of Fox News’ “Bill Hemmer Reports” to discuss how much the government’s role can be in alleviating the problem, MacCallum pointed out that the only real solution will be “opening the country back up.”
Projections of between 100,000 and 240,000 coronavirus deaths, which had taken social distancing into account, have consistently been revised downward to the current number of around 60,000 deaths by August 1.
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“I think we are going to have a long period, obviously of very difficult economic distress, and you cannot help but look at the numbers that caused it and the models which were incorrect that really were one of the biggest push points to shut down the United States economy,” MacCallum told anchor Bill Hemmer.
She noted that the overall death toll could be “south of the numbers in the 2018 flu season.”
“And remember, the loss of 61,000 people in the flu season was after vaccinations,” the Fox News anchor added. “After vaccinations, that’s the number that were lost in America.”
“So when you reevaluate this economic decision, this total shutdown, almost total shutdown of the country and the businesses that will fail because of it, the ramifications of that will be something that you deal with long after the mourning process of those that were lost in this,” MacCallum said before pointing out several small businesses that are “hurting,” including catering, hair salons, and others. (RELATED: ‘Mindless And Destructive Measures’: Tucker Questions Why Leaders ‘Chose The Chinese Model’ For Virus Response)
The “key” to saving those companies will ultimately be “opening the country back up,” she contended before wondering if it would “make more sense” to ask vulnerable people “to lock down for a while longer” so businesses can open.
“Because no patchwork of government funding, in the end, is going to save this economy,” MacCallum said. “The only thing that’s gonna save it is to reopen.”