Dr. Marty Makary expresses concern over decision to re-open Georgia: We need to stick together as a country
To fight the coronavirus pandemic, we've made sacrifices together as a country, says Fox News contributor Dr. Marty Makary, professor of health policy and management at the Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health.
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Johns Hopkins University health policy and management professor Dr. Marty Makary, a Fox News contributor, told "The Story" Tuesday that he was "concerned" about Georgia Gov. Brian Kemp's plan to start reopening his state's economy at the end of this week.
"I am concerned that Georgia is violating the White House guidelines because we decided as a country that we're going to make this sacrifice together," Makary told host Martha MacCallum. "Georgia has not yet reached its peak. Georgia had 85 deaths just on Monday from the virus, and they've been averaging about 35 per day."
However, Makary conceded that there are many less populous areas in Georgia that are likely faring better than epicenters of the outbreak -- like the state capital, Atlanta, and the southwestern city of Albany.
THE CORONAVIRUS OUTBREAK, STATE-BY-STATE
"At the same time, look, I grew up in a rural area. Our problem right now is not tattoo parlors [and] it's not nail salons," the Danville, Pa., native said.
"[The problem is] protecting those who are at high risk. And it does make sense that we can have a different policy in Atlanta than we do in say, La Grange, Georgia."
Makary also noted a study performed in southern California that showed about four percent of respondents testing positive for coronavirus antibodies, which he said showed that the reported number of approximately 8,000 total virus cases is "not reliable."
"When people read the number of confirmed cases off [the Johns Hopkins University coronavirus] map, they have got to recognize that they are understating the problem, and this [Los Angeles] study suggests that the number may be 55 times higher."
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Host Martha MacCallum also noted that if the study is borne out around the country, it would mean that the death rate from coronavirus would be much lower than previously supposed.
"Yes, maybe ten times lower," Makary agreed. "It also tells us that we've got a silent army of immune people that could be an effective firewall come the fall or later in this spring."
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