If this pandemic has taught us anything, it is how important accurate and transparent data is to this country getting control of this disease.
COVID-19 data is best collected and analyzed by the professionals and health experts at the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.
Yet the Trump administration told states to start sending hospital data to Health and Human Services in Washington first, instead of sending it directly to the CDC.
Until last Tuesday, the information about hospital capacity, health care worker staffing and personal protective equipment supply were readily available on the CDC website. What was left by Thursday was a note saying the information gathered through July 14 would no longer be updated.
Public trust that we are getting accurate and timely information is critical as cases and deaths continue to mount in Texas and other states.
On Wednesday, Dallas County alone recorded its 13th consecutive day of more than 1,000 coronavirus cases. The day before, it tied a record of 20 deaths. County Judge Clay Jenkins says this week could be one of the deadliest.
Hospital capacity information is critical. For its part, the HHS says the decision was made to streamline data reporting and provide HHS officials with real-time data. We’re glad to hear Director Michael Caputo say that the CDC should make the data public on its web site again. We hope he makes that happen.
We know the CDC’s reporting infrastructure on COVID-19 has been less than perfect. Still, shifting the data away from going directly to the CDC raises concerns about how forthcoming the Trump administration will be on giving Americans a clear overall picture of where the nation’s pandemic fight stands.
In the past week, President Donald Trump and White House officials continued to question the expertise of public health officials. Trump cast doubt on the precautions recommended by his own top infectious disease expert, Dr. Anthony Fauci, director of the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases.
If we have any hope of slowing this virus, we must follow the science and the advice of the experts on wearing masks and social distancing.
There are too many Americans still not taking this disease seriously. Having a central collection of data, objectively analyzed by experts charged with controlling infectious disease in this country, is the best thing we can do to convince more people that this pandemic is real.
The CDC exists to ensure America has the best research and analysis of infectious disease. There should be no roadblocks to it doing its job.
The response to this pandemic has been woefully inadequate by many government leaders. This has the potential to make it worse.
— The Dallas Morning News
