Dr. Drew Pinsky is issuing a mea culpa after continually downplaying the danger of coronavirus for months and claiming it was "press-induced panic."

© Matt Baron/Shutterstock Dr. Drew Pinsky attends the MTV Video Music Awards in New Jersey on Aug. 26, 2019.

He once said you're more likely to die after being "hit by an asteroid" than the highly-contagious virus. On Saturday, he drastically changed his tune.

"My early comments about equating coronavirus with influenza were wrong. They were incorrect," Dr. Drew said on Saturday, referring to his consistent comments from February and March. "I was part of a chorus that was saying that, and we were wrong. And I want to apologize for that."

"I wish I had gotten it right, but I got it wrong," he added.

To date, more than a million people worldwide have tested positive for coronavirus and nearly 68,000 people have died. The United States has more coronavirus cases than any other country in world with 323,500 confirmed cases, more than doubling Spain, which has the second-most cases with 130,000.

© MediaPunch/Shutterstock Dr. Drew Pinsky attends the LA Art Show opening night gala in Los Angeles on Jan. 23, 2019.

Dr. Drew said he was correct in urging people to follow the advice of Dr. Anthony Fauci, the director of the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases.

"He was my guiding star in the AIDS epidemic and he should be your North Star now," Drew said, adding that he's socially distancing. "I'm doing what I'm supposed to do. I wear a mask outside now. And it's paid dividends. It is improving-- It is flattening the curve. And I'm delighted to be a part of that. I'm glad to be a part of that."

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