Morning Briefing
Summaries of health policy coverage from major news organizations
CDC Scientists Did Not Write Or Agree To Release Altered COVID Testing Guidance
The New York Times: C.D.C. Testing Guidance Was Published Against Scientists’ Objections
A heavily criticized recommendation from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention last month about who should be tested for the coronavirus was not written by C.D.C. scientists and was posted to the agency’s website despite their serious objections, according to several people familiar with the matter as well as internal documents obtained by The New York Times. The guidance said it was not necessary to test people without symptoms of Covid-19 even if they had been exposed to the virus. It came at a time when public health experts were pushing for more testing rather than less, and administration officials told The Times that the document was a C.D.C. product and had been revised with input from the agency’s director, Dr. Robert Redfield. (Mandavilli, 9/17)
Reuters: U.S. CDC Testing Guidance Was Published Against Scientists' Objections: NYT
The agency’s previous position recommended testing all people who have had close contact with anyone diagnosed with COVID-19. The reversal shocked doctors and politicians and prompted accusations of political interference. Admiral Brett Giroir, assistant secretary for health at the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) - the CDC’s parent - at the time said the goal was “appropriate testing”, not more testing for its own sake, and that there had been no political pressure. (9/17)
The Hill: Controversial CDC Guidelines Were Written By HHS Officials, Not Scientists: Report
Administration officials had told the Times at the time that the guidance came from the CDC and was edited by CDC Director Robert Redfield. But officials told the newspaper this week that HHS staff rewrote the document and published it on the CDC’s website without going through the traditional review process. The review would typically require 12 to 20 people to approve the document. “That was a doc that came from the top down, from the HHS and the task force,” a federal official with knowledge of the matter told the Times, referring to the White House coronavirus task force. “That policy does not reflect what many people at the CDC feel should be the policy.” (Coleman, 9/17)
