Dr. Deborah Birx, global health expert for the White House Coronavirus Task Force, is reportedly expressing deep concern about the statistics being relayed by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC).
According to a report released by The Washington Post, last week Birx reportedly clashed with the CDC director Robert Redfield over the system being used to compile coronavirus statistics. Four people who attended Birx’s meeting with Redfield insisted the two had different perspectives of the system in place.
Birx argued that the antiquated system being used to accumulate data is outdated which could contribute to projections — namely the mortality rates and case count— being inflated by as much as 25%.
“There is nothing from the CDC that I can trust,” Birx reportedly said at the time.
The debate reportedly came days after a report on projections, which is based on data received from the CDC and other various agencies, ahead of the expiration of President Donald Trump’s stay-at-home order. The internal government model privately showed a distinct spike projecting 3,000 deaths per day by June 1 as a result of states loosening social distancing guidelines.
Despite the CDC’s projections, Birx insists the “mortality is slowly declining each day.” However, she did stress the importance of continued precautionary measures for “seniors and those with co-morbidities.”
“To keep with this trend, it is essential that seniors and those with co-morbidities shelter in place and that we continue to protect vulnerable communities,” Birx said.
As of Monday afternoon, there are more than 1.3 million positive coronavirus cases in the United States.
Despite more than 30 states preparing to reopen to some extent, according to some reports, many of the states have not seen a 14-day decline in the number of positive test results which the White House requires for safe reopening.