Kevin McCarthy: Coronavirus Data ‘Promising’ Path to Reopen Country

House Republican Leader Kevin McCarthy (R-CA) told Breitbart News during a press conference on Thursday that recent coronavirus data looks “promising” as part of a potential plan for the government to reopen less coronavirus-afflicted parts of the country.

“We know that this is going to reopen. We’re going to have to reopen in phases. I would take the data. Some of this looks promising,” McCarthy said. “Looking at the models and they lowered the numbers just yesterday, and the overall predictions of where they thought deaths would be and the timing of moving up sooner than it could be.”

The Institute for Metrics and Evaluation (IMHE) model initially projected that the projected coronavirus deaths would land somewhere between 100,000 to 240,000 deaths. Coronavirus cases in New York have reportedly started plateauing.

The IMHE reduced its projections on Wednesday to 60,415 deaths.

McCarthy’s comments follow as the White House is reportedly crafting plans to reopen the American economy. The proposal would involve opening smaller cities and towns in states that have not been heavily affected by the coronavirus.

“This country needs to open back up at the right time–I think opening up in pockets and having the data, the more ability for us to expand on our testing,” he added.

Food and Drug Administration (FDA) Commissioner Stephen Hahn said on Wednesday that the government could use serology testing to determine if Americans had coronavirus and built an immunity. Hahn said this may allow public health officials to return to work and begin planning how to reopen the economy.

Hahn told Breitbart News’s Matthew Boyle that serological tests would allow patients to donate blood plasma that may be used as part of a treatment for patients afflicted with the coronavirus.

McCarthy told Breitbart News that “every day, we’re getting better at” testing and supplying more tests for Americans to get past the coronavirus pandemic.