Johns Hopkins: Leaked coronavirus model on death spike not final
President Trump weighed in on concerns brought about by the leaked projections
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Johns Hopkins University said Tuesday that a leaked FEMA document featuring charts projecting nearly double the current daily coronavirus death toll by the end of May is not a "final version."
The charts used data from the Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health.
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The document was intended to illustrate scenarios, including relaxing restrictions on businesses, travel and social distancing that has brought the economy to a standstill in recent weeks. The information was intended to highlight what might cause significant increases in COVID-19 cases and deaths throughout the United States, the statement said.
"These preliminary analyses were provided to FEMA to aid in scenario planning — not to be used as forecasts — and the version published is not a final version," the school said in a statement. "These preliminary results are not forecasts, and it is not accurate to present them as forecasts."
President Donald Trump speaks to members of the media on the South Lawn of the White House in Washington, Tuesday, May 5, 2020, before boarding Marine One for a short trip to Andrews Air Force Base, Md., and then on to Phoenix, Ariz. (AP Photo/Patric
President Trump weighed in on concerns brought about by the leaked projections since so many Americans are planning to get back to work soon.
"That's with no mitigation. We're doing mitigation," he told reporters on Tuesday. "We have to get our country open. ... Models have been very inaccurate. I've seen models that are very inaccurate."