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Covid-19 Data Will Once Again Be Collected by CDC, in Policy Reversal :
The U.S. Department of Health and Human Services is reversing course on a change to the way hospitals report critical information on the coronavirus pandemic to the government, returning the responsibility for data collection to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.
Deborah Birx, the White House's coronavirus coordinator, told hospital executives and government officials in Arkansas this week that the current system under which hospitals report new cases is "solely an interim system" and that the reporting would soon go back to the CDC.
"CDC is working with us right now to build a revolutionary new data system so it can be moved back to the CDC, and they can have that regular accountability with hospitals relevant to treatment and PPE," Dr. Birx said, referring to personal protective equipment used by doctors and nurses.
The reversal comes after increasing reports that the new system has been plagued by delays and inconsistencies in data since being implemented in July. Among other things, certain key statistics, such as inpatient beds occupied by Covid-19 patients, were updated only once a week, rather than daily or multiple times a week, as under the CDC system.
(Score: 5, Insightful) by Anonymous Coward on Monday August 24 2020, @12:53PM (2 children)
Because the system they were already using sucked* so bad they had to move it to a system that sucked even worse so they could create their "revolutionary new data system."
What a bunch of mealy-mouthed bullshit. Who knows what the original thought was behind moving data collection out of the CDC? But whatever it was, it certainly wasn't making sure that everyone got better information more quickly.
And now HHS is flailing so badly (no surprise there), they're sending that responsibility back from whence it came. Just another example of the inept and craven response to the pandemic from the folks over at 1600 Pennsylvania Avenue. I'm shocked! Shocked, I say!
Makes you wonder which "stable genius" came up with that moronic idea. And with the current administration, there are so many of those to choose from.
*While there have been some issues with the CDC's data collection [fedhealthit.com] and reporting [theatlantic.com], HHS has been much, much worse.
(Score: 5, Informative) by Anonymous Coward on Monday August 24 2020, @01:30PM (1 child)
Do you really have to ask ?
It was an attempt to silence an organization that was embarassing the current administration. Isn't that obvious ?
(Score: -1, Troll) by Anonymous Coward on Tuesday August 25 2020, @12:19AM
They should have just followed the Obama policy implemented when the Swine-Flu pandemic occurred. Simply stop reporting numbers. Problem solved.