Tag: CDC

CDC chief defends failure to spot early coronavirus spread in U.S.

Washington Post logoRobert R. Redfield says diagnostic testing would have made little difference, describing it like ‘looking for a needle in a haystack’

The director of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention on Friday defended the agency’s failure to find early spread of the coronavirus in the United States, noting that surveillance systems “kept eyes” on the disease.

“We were never really blind when it came to surveillance” for covid-19, the disease caused by the virus, CDC chief Robert R. Redfield said. Even if widespread diagnostic testing had been in place, it would have been like “looking for a needle in a haystack,” he said.

Redfield was among three CDC officials who spoke with reporters Friday about a comprehensive analysis by the agency that found the coronavirus began spreading in the United States as early as the second half of January, eluding detection by public health surveillance systems that help monitor for early signs of novel contagions. Continue reading.

How many people are infected with the coronavirus? A major study will attempt to provide an answer.

Washington Post logoThe Centers for Disease Control and Prevention is embarking on an expansive study of the prevalence of novel coronavirus antibodies in people in 25 metropolitan areas, an effort to provide long-awaited insight into the way the virus is spreading and its presence in communities.

The study, which plans to test 325,000 people by fall 2021, will build on an antibody study that has been underway in six of those cities since March, according to Michael Busch, who is overseeing the study and is director of the Vitalant Research Institute. CDC spokeswoman Kristen Nordlund confirmed plans to announce the study but declined to discuss details.

Starting in June, this vast new antibody study will test samples from 1,000 blood donors each month for 12 months in the 25 metro areas. Researchers will test the samples for evidence of coronavirus antibodies, which are created by the immune system when someone is infected with the virus. Continue reading.

CDC guidelines, released at last, offer low-key guide to reopening

Washington Post logoThe Centers for Disease Control and Prevention this week laid out its detailed, delayed road map for reopening schools, child-care facilities, restaurants and mass transit, weeks after covid-weary states began opening on their own terms.

The CDC cautioned that some institutions should stay closed for now and said reopening should be guided by coronavirus transmission rates.

For schools, the CDC recommended a raft of social distancing policies: desks at least six feet apart and facing the same direction, lunch in classrooms, staggered arrival times, cloth masks for staff and daily temperature screenings for everyone. Continue reading.

White House tensions with CDC spill into public view as top Trump adviser criticizes agency response

NOTE:  This article is being provided free of charge by The Washington Post.

Washington Post logoTensions between the White House and the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention spilled out into public view on Sunday as a top adviser to President Trump criticized the public health agency’s response to the novel coronavirus pandemic.

The comments by White House trade adviser Peter Navarro are the latest signal of how the Trump administration has sought to sideline the CDC. The agency typically plays the lead role in public health crises, but in recent weeks it’s had its draft guidance for reopening held up by the White House, leaving states and localities to largely fend for themselves.

Speaking on NBC News’s “Meet the Press,” Navarro sharply criticized the CDC over its production of a flawed coronavirus test kit that contributed to a nationwide delay in testing. Continue reading.

Dr. Birx and other White House officials pressuring CDC to revise COVID-19 death count to please Trump: report

AlterNet logoPresident Donald Trump and his coronavirus task force are pressuring officials at the Centers for Disease Control to dial down the number of COVID-19 deaths.

Five administration officials working on the pandemic response told The Daily Beast that the White House has pressed the CDC to work with states to revise how they count coronavirus deaths and report them back to the federal government.

Dr. Deborah Birx, in particular, has urged CDC officials to exclude some individuals who are presumed positive but don’t have confirmed lab results or those who have the virus but may not have died as a direct result, according to three senior administration officials. Continue reading.

Contamination at CDC lab delayed rollout of coronavirus tests

Washington Post logoThe failure by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention to quickly produce a test kit for detecting the novel coronavirus was triggered by a glaring scientific breakdown at the CDC’s central laboratory complex in Atlanta, according to scientists with knowledge of the matter and a determination by federal regulators.

The CDC facilities that assembled the kits violated sound manufacturing practices, resulting in contamination of one of the three test components used in the highly sensitive detection process, the scientists said.

The cross contamination most likely occurred because chemical mixtures were assembled into the kits within a lab space that was also handling synthetic coronavirus material. The scientists also said the proximity deviated from accepted procedures and jeopardized testing for the virus. Continue reading.

CDC, FEMA have created a plan to reopen America. Here’s what it says.

Washington Post logoDocument is part of White House plan being drafted to allow Trump to reopen parts of the country within weeks

A team of government officials — led by the Federal Emergency Management Agency and the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention — has created a public health strategy to combat the novel coronavirus and reopen parts of the country.

Their strategy, obtained by The Washington Post, is part of a larger White House effort to draft a national plan to get Americans out of their homes and back to work. It gives guidance to state and local governments on how they can ease mitigation efforts, moving from drastic restrictions such as stay-at-home orders in a phased way to support a safe reopening.

CDC and FEMA officials have worked on the public health response for at least the past week, and the resulting document has been discussed at the White House, including by members of the coronavirus task force, according to two administration officials who spoke on the condition of anonymity to discuss internal deliberations.

CDC Now Urges Masks — But Trump Says ‘You Don’t Have To Do It’

President Donald Trump announced on Friday that the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention is now advising Americans to wear cloth face masks in public to reduce the chance of spreading Covid-19. But he sharply undercut the urgency of this recommendation, stressing in the White House briefing room that it was “voluntary” and remarking in an aside that he’s unlikely to comply with the advice.

“From recent studies, we know that the transmission from individuals without symptoms is playing a more significant role in the spread of the virus than previously understood,” Trump said, reading from a script. “In light of these studies, the CDC is advising the use of non-medical cloth-based covering as an additional voluntary public health measure.”

Then Trump, clear speaking off-the-cuff, added: “So it’s voluntary! You don’t have to do it. They suggest it for a period of time. But … this is voluntary. I don’t think I’m going to be doing it.” Continue reading.

New CDC data shows danger of coronavirus for those with diabetes, heart or lung disease, other chronic conditions

Washington Post logoPeople who have chronic medical conditions, such as diabetes, lung disease and heart disease, face an increased chance of being hospitalized with covid-19 and put into intensive care, according to data released Tuesday by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention that is consistent with reports from China and Italy.

The new data gives the most sweeping look at the way covid-19 is causing serious illnesses among people in the United States who already face medical challenges.

The report reinforces a critically important lesson: Although the disease is typically more severe among older people, people of any age with underlying medical conditions are at increased risk if they contract the virus, for which there is no vaccine or approved drug treatment. Continue reading.  Free article.

The Memo: Concerns grow over political pressure on coronavirus experts

The Hill logoExperts are worried that scientists and other key public health figures are facing increasing political pressure as the coronavirus crisis deepens.

The near-daily press briefings at the White House have seen tense moments between President Trump and Dr. Anthony Fauci and Dr. Deborah Birx, the two main public faces of the crisis from the scientific community.

At the same time, recent comments Birx made in an interview with the Christian Broadcasting Network sparked concern among the left and beyond. Continue reading.