Michael Caputo, the department’s undersecretary for public affairs, confirmed the change first reported by The New York Times earlier in the day, and said in a statement, “Our new, faster and more comprehensive data system is what our nation needs. to beat the coronavirus. ” and CDC, an operating division of HHS, will certainly participate in this simplified, government-wide response. They just won’t control it anymore. “
“The CDC’s old hospital data collection operation once worked well in monitoring hospital information across the country, but today it is an inadequate system,” Caputo said in the statement.
The Times said hospitals will begin reporting the data to HHS on Wednesday, also noting that the “database that will receive new information is not open to the public, which could affect the work of dozens of researchers, modelers and health officials. who rely on CDC Data to make crucial projections and decisions. ”
The change comes as the Trump administration continues to grapple with the coronavirus pandemic, which has already claimed the lives of more than 136,000 Americans, in movements that are increasingly seen as more political.
Earlier Tuesday, four former CDC directors criticized the administration’s efforts to ignore and politicize the agency’s guidelines in a biting Washington Post opinion piece.
The four former CDC officials warned against what they called a “tragic indictment” of CDC’s efforts as President Donald Trump and top coronavirus task force officials seek to reopen the nation’s schools.
Trump has said he will “pressure” governors to reopen schools, despite separate CDC internal documents obtained by the Times warning that the reopening of K-12 schools and universities would be the “biggest risk “for the spread of the deadly virus.
“Unfortunately, their sound science is being challenged with firing from supporters, sowing confusion and mistrust at a time when the American people need leadership, experience and clarity. These efforts have even fueled a backlash against public health officials across the globe. Country: Public servants have been harassed, threatened and forced to resign when we need them the most. This is excessive and dangerous, “wrote former CDC officials.
Public health experts said: “They face two opponents: covid-19, but also political leaders and others trying to undermine” the CDC.
CNN’s Betsy Klein contributed to this report.
