homersapien 11,393 Posted May 21, 2020 Share Posted May 21, 2020 By Editorial Board May 21, 2020 at 3:33 p.m. EDT WHAT EVER happened to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention? The nation’s public health agency, long considered world-class, a source of expertise, rapid response and trusted communications in multiple disease outbreaks, has been sidelined in the largest public health emergency of the past century. The American people are worse off for it. The CDC and the voice of its scientists must be restored. Last Sunday, President Trump’s White House trade adviser, Peter Navarro, complained that the CDC “really let the country down with the testing.” According to The Post, Deborah Birx, who is overseeing the administration’s coronavirus task force, confronted Robert Redfield, the director of the CDC, at a White House meeting, saying she was frustrated at the agency’s antiquated system for tracking virus data. “There is nothing from the CDC that I can trust,” she was quoted by sources as saying. The CDC did make a major error with the diagnostic test kit. The agency suffered a technical failure with a chemical reagent, then was sluggish in responding. The CDC also had no backup plan, which left the nation more vulnerable when the virus erupted. The CDC should have pivoted to a Plan B, such as the World Health Organization test. It was an uncharacteristic foul-up, which cost time and shook confidence in Washington. But this initial problem was compounded by Mr. Trump’s negligence. He refused to acknowledge the seriousness of the pandemic, while his administration dropped the ball on logistics, leading to shortages in diagnostic testing and personal protective equipment. The CDC was shunted out of the limelight, even though the agency has the explicit job of pandemic preparation and management and has such experienced crisis managers as Principal Deputy Director Anne Schuchat. Mr. Trump preferred his own ill-informed predictions — the virus will disappear — to the hard truths of scientists. Dr. Redfield’s political skills in the Washington power game have been sorely lacking, and he may have feared Mr. Trump’s wrath, but he should have been more forceful in asserting the CDC’s primacy. It is true that the CDC’s data systems are outdated, but instead of complaining about it, Congress and the administration ought to fix what has been known and neglected for too long. The CDC has a well-practiced tradition of open and credible public communications about risk in a crisis. Mr. Trump broke every rule with a reckless disregard for truth and transparency. During the H1N1 pandemic in 2009 and 2010, the CDC held 39 press briefings. This time? Two, and the last was March 14. Then the agency’s detailed recommendations for reopening were held up by a president too eager to rush forward. The CDC has its problems, but the answer is not to silence it. One result of this pandemic ought to be a long-term commitment to robustly fund public health, including the CDC. More immediately, the American people should be allowed to hear frequently from the agency’s seasoned scientists and public health experts, instead of the nonsense being disseminated from the White House about bleach and hydroxychloroquine. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
creed 1,641 Posted May 22, 2020 Share Posted May 22, 2020 So it sounds like the CDC has had problems for many years and administrations. So why am I just now hearing about it? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SocialCircle 570 Posted May 23, 2020 Share Posted May 23, 2020 15 hours ago, creed said: So it sounds like the CDC has had problems for many years and administrations. So why am I just now hearing about it? I agree. This has clearly exposed the CDC......and the WHO for that matter. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
creed 1,641 Posted May 23, 2020 Share Posted May 23, 2020 48 minutes ago, SocialCircle said: I agree. This has clearly exposed the CDC......and the WHO for that matter. Good point. If any organization needs a “watchdog” for reporting and oversight it would be the WHO. I think understanding the value for what our taxes fund should be clearly communicated. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
homersapien 11,393 Posted May 23, 2020 Author Share Posted May 23, 2020 All large organizations benefit from, and therefore "need", inspector generals. It's just common sense. That in no way suggests such organizations aren't vitally important, the WHO being the prime example. As for the CDC's "antiquated" system for tracking covid 19 infections", that probably reflects more on a lack of funding than it does mismanagement. Bottom line, it's one thing to criticize organizations like the CDC or the WHO, but you'd better have a plan for improving them. Eliminating them is not an rational option. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
creed 1,641 Posted May 23, 2020 Share Posted May 23, 2020 22 minutes ago, homersapien said: All large organizations benefit from, and therefore "need", inspector generals. It's just common sense. That in no way suggests such organizations aren't vitally important, the WHO being the prime example. As for the CDC's "antiquated" system for tracking covid 19 infections", that probably reflects more on a lack of funding than it does mismanagement. Bottom line, it's one thing to criticize organizations like the CDC or the WHO, but you'd better have a plan for improving them. Eliminating them is not an rational option. The plan to improve these organizations are held by the leaders of those organizations. They must articulate and demonstrate their organization's value. If that is effectively communicated with a clear ROI then I would expect funding to improve their antiquated systems. Note this/these issues didn't happen overnight. It would be interesting to see DATA on the when, what, how of their issues. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
homersapien 11,393 Posted May 23, 2020 Author Share Posted May 23, 2020 https://www.statnews.com/2020/04/29/we-need-the-real-cdc-back-and-we-need-it-now/ We need the real CDC back, and we need it now Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
creed 1,641 Posted May 23, 2020 Share Posted May 23, 2020 8 minutes ago, homersapien said: https://www.statnews.com/2020/04/29/we-need-the-real-cdc-back-and-we-need-it-now/ We need the real CDC back, and we need it now When did the real CDC stop being the real CDC and why? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
homersapien 11,393 Posted May 23, 2020 Author Share Posted May 23, 2020 1 hour ago, creed said: When did the real CDC stop being the real CDC and why? Did you read the piece? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
creed 1,641 Posted May 23, 2020 Share Posted May 23, 2020 1 hour ago, homersapien said: Did you read the piece? Yes. So sometime between 2010 and now. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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