Anonymous Official: “It’s Coming From the Top Down”
To Cut Down on the Number of Reported Positive Cases, New Testing Guidelines Will Exclude People Without Symptoms — Even Though Half of Transmission Events Can Be Traced to Asymptomatic Individuals
In response to news that the CDC was pressured prior to the announcement of new testing guidelines, Protect Our Care’s Zac Petkanas released the following statement:
“Let’s be clear: for the second time in one week, Donald Trump has been caught overriding the experts and strong-arming independent agencies that Americans depend on during a time of crisis to fit his political agenda.
“For months, Trump has lamented that testing exposed the skyrocketing number of cases and even publicly pleaded to ‘slow the testing down, please!’ The CDC’s recommendation to do fewer tests, after pressure from high ranking officials, is a perfect example of how Trump’s abuse of power to help himself politically hurts the American people.
“Every expert says we should be testing more, not less. The willingness to play politics with people’s lives like this is exactly why the virus continues to rage out of control in the United States and why nearly 180,000 have died needlessly while our peer nations return to normalcy.”
President Trump Pressured the CDC to Dangerously Shift Guidelines to Require Much Less Testing
An Anonymous Federal Health Official Revealed That The Direction For The CDC To Change Federal Guidelines On Coronavirus Testing Was “Coming From The Top Down.”
- “A sudden change in federal guidelines on coronavirus testing came this week as a result of pressure from the upper ranks of the Trump administration, a federal health official close to the process tells CNN. ‘It’s coming from the top down,’ the official said of the new directive from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. The new guidelines lower the bar on who should get tested, advising that some people without symptoms probably don’t need it — even if they’ve been in close contact with an infected person. Previously, the CDC said viral testing was appropriate for people with recent or suspected exposure, even if they were asymptomatic.” [CNN, 8/26/20]
The New Guidelines Excludes People Who Do Not Have Symptoms — Even If They Have Been Recently Exposed To The Virus — Despite The Fact That Half Of Transmission Events Can Be Traced To Pre-Symptomatic Or Asymptomatic Individuals.
- “The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention quietly modified its coronavirus testing guidelines this week to exclude people who do not have symptoms of Covid-19 — even if they have been recently exposed to the virus. Experts questioned the revision, pointing to the importance of identifying infections in the small window immediately before the onset of symptoms, when many individuals appear to be most contagious… Models suggest that about half of transmission events can be traced back to individuals still in this so-called pre-symptomatic stage, before they start to feel ill — if they ever feel sick at all.” [New York Times, 8/25/20]
…In a Move Experts Agree Will Only Make the Pandemic Worse
Dr. Krutika Kuppalli: “This Is Going To Make Things Worse.”
- “‘This is potentially dangerous,’ said Dr. Krutika Kuppalli, an infectious disease physician in Palo Alto, Calif. Restricting testing to only people with obvious symptoms of Covid-19 means ‘you’re not looking for a lot of people who are potential spreaders of disease,’ she added. ‘I feel like this is going to make things worse.’”
Daniel Larremore, Infectious Disease Modeler At The University Of Colorado – Boulder: “Any Move Right Now To Reduce Levels Of Testing By Changing Guidelines Is A Step In The Wrong Direction.”
- “‘I think it’s bizarre,’ said Daniel Larremore, a mathematician and infectious diseases modeler at the University of Colorado Boulder. ‘Any move right now to reduce levels of testing by changing guidelines is a step in the wrong direction.’”
Former CDC Director Dr. Tom Frieden Stated That The CDC Directive To No Longer Test Asymptomatic Individuals Was “Probably Indefensible.”
- “Dr. Tom Frieden, the former director of the CDC under President Barack Obama, said on Twitter that the change is ‘probably indefensible’ and was ‘likely imposed on CDC’s website.’” [CNBC, 8/26/20]
Arizona Public Health Association Executive Director Will Humble: “The CDC Brand Is Toast.”
- “Will Humble, executive director of the Arizona Public Health Association and former director of the Arizona Department of Health Services, called the change ‘bizarre.’ ‘Testing contacts is a core part of contact tracing!’ he said on Twitter. ‘50% of transmission happens before symptoms occur & you make this policy decision? The CDC brand is toast.’” [CNBC, 8/26/20]
Dr. Michael Mina, A Professor Of Epidemiology At Harvard’s School Of Public Health: “It’s Absolutely Critical That We Continue To Know Who Is Spreading [The] Virus.”
- “Dr. Michael Mina, a professor of epidemiology at Harvard’s School of Public Health, said it’s critical to test people who don’t have symptoms for Covid-19 to help guide a targeted U.S. response. ‘It’s absolutely crucial that we continue to know who is spreading [the] virus and that is largely due to asymptomatic individuals or at least there is a large fraction of spread that is asymptomatic,’ he said. ‘That makes the new guidance frustrating, to say the least.’” [CNBC, 8/26/20]
Highlighting the Administration’s Ongoing Attempts to Politicize Agencies and Endanger the American Public
The Food And Drug Administration Approved An Emergency Use Authorization For An Unproven Therapy At President Trump’s Urging, Against The Advice Of Scientists.
- “The Food and Drug Administration on Sunday gave emergency approval for expanded use of antibody-rich blood plasma to help hospitalized coronavirus patients, allowing President Trump, who has been pressuring the agency to move faster to address the pandemic, to claim progress on the eve of the Republican convention. Mr. Trump cited the approval, which had been held up by concerns among top government scientists about the data behind it, as welcome news in fighting a disease that has led to 176,000 deaths in the United States and left the nation lagging far behind most others in the effectiveness of its response.” [New York Times, 8/23/20]
Days After President Trump Trashed The CDC’s School Reopening Guidelines As “Very Tough” And “Expensive,” The CDC Changed Them.
- “After President Donald Trump tweeted Wednesday that he disagreed with US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention guidelines for safely reopening schools because they are ‘very tough’ and ‘expensive,’ the agency said it would issue new recommendations… The move came as the Trump administration makes a concerted push for schools to reopen by the fall, even as cases surge in some parts of the country. After Trump voiced displeasure at the CDC’s handling of the issue, the agency’s director said his recommendations shouldn’t be used as an excuse for not returning children to classrooms. Instead, Dr. Robert Redfield and other members of the White House coronavirus task force said every effort must be made to bring students back to schools, suggesting doing otherwise would harm their health and development.” [CNN, 7/8/20]
The Trump Administration Abruptly Changed Requirements For States And Hospitals To Report COVID-19 Data And Statistics, A Move That Jeopardized The Distribution Of Medical Supplies.
- “State health leaders, public health experts and hospital officials warn that an abrupt change in how the Trump administration requires them to report coronavirus data will increase the burden on facilities already strained by the pandemic and could impede the distribution of critical medicines… [Critics] say they fear the elimination of the CDC’s role as a main data-keeper for the pandemic will be damaging, depriving states, hospitals and others of frequent analyses of data about the virus’s path in their communities. Smaller hospitals, in particular, are ill-equipped to suddenly adopt new data methods, critics said, though the industry has pledged to comply with the change.” [Washington Post, 7/15/20]