White House Orders Covid-19 Data Bypass CDC, Send To Washington Instead
[guest post by Dana]
The Trump administration has ordered hospitals to bypass the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention and send all Covid-19 patient information to a central database in Washington beginning on Wednesday. The move has alarmed health experts who fear the data will be politicized or withheld from the public.
The new instructions were posted recently in a little-noticed document on the Department of Health and Human Services website. From now on, the department — not the C.D.C. — will collect daily reports about the patients that each hospital is treating, the number of available beds and ventilators, and other information vital to tracking the pandemic.
The Trump administration defended its decision to change from what is perceived to be an antiquated system to one that would make for more efficient collection of vital data:
Officials say the change will streamline data gathering and assist the White House coronavirus task force in allocating scarce supplies like personal protective gear and remdesivir, the first drug shown to be effective against the virus.
…
Michael R. Caputo, a Health and Human Services spokesman, called the C.D.C.’s system inadequate and said the two systems would be linked. The C.D.C. would continue to make data public, he said.
“Today, the C.D.C. still has at least a week lag in reporting hospital data,” Mr. Caputo said. “America requires it in real time. The new, faster and complete data system is what our nation needs to defeat the coronavirus, and the C.D.C., an operating division of H.H.S., will certainly participate in this streamlined all-of-government response. They will simply no longer control it.”
While the administration claims that this will result in a more efficient system, the concern of scientists focuses on the real impact the move will have on researchers working on diseases if there isn’t transparency and access to critical data concerning Covid-19 and infection rates:
[T]he Health and Human Services database that will receive new information is not open to the public, which could affect the work of scores of researchers, modelers and health officials who rely on C.D.C. data to make projections and crucial decisions.
“Historically, C.D.C. has been the place where public health data has been sent, and this raises questions about not just access for researchers but access for reporters, access for the public to try to better understand what is happening with the outbreak,” said Jen Kates, the director of global health and H.I.V. policy with the nonpartisan Kaiser Family Foundation.
“How will the data be protected?” she asked. “Will there be transparency, will there be access, and what is the role of the C.D.C. in understanding the data?”
But the instructions to hospitals in the department guidance are explicit and underscored: “As of July 15, 2020, hospitals should no longer report the Covid-19 information in this document to the National Healthcare Safety Network site,” the C.D.C.’s system for gathering data from more than 25,000 medical centers around the country.
Details about the new system:
The CDC currently collects coronavirus data through its system, the National Healthcare Safety Network, which tracks COVID-19 by having medical professionals register their facilities and report new cases, deaths, hospital capacity, and other pertinent information. At the outset of the pandemic, this program expanded to meet demands and track hospital capacity and COVID-19-specific patient information.
The new system, which reportedly will be used to collect the same information, is managed by health data firm, TeleTracking. Like the National Healthcare Safety Network, the TeleTracking system will rely on daily push data, meaning that hospital employees must manually enter the information. One caveat is that if hospitals are already in the habit of reporting information at a state level first, they could obtain a written release to continue that process, giving the state the responsibility of reporting on a federal level.
The root conflict seems to be one of trust, as health care professionals don’t necessarily trust the White House to freely provide what should be seen as “apolitical” data:
[F]our of the CDC’s former directors expressed concerns that the Trump administration will politicize data and continue to undermine health experts. Furthermore, information sent to the new database will not be open to the public which raises questions about how researchers, health officials, and reporters will be able to access data. Among several things that haven’t been made clear in this new system, is how the CDC will be involved and what its role will be in helping understand the data collected.
Oops:
U.S. coronavirus data that was available to the public has been stripped from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention’s website, one day after the Trump administration took control of the information… CNBC reports that HHS spokesman Michael Caputo said in a statement to CNBC that the CDC has been ordered to make the data available again. “HHS is committed to being transparent with the American public about the information it is collecting on the coronavirus,” he said. “Therefore, HHS has directed CDC to re-establish the coronavirus dashboards it withdrew from the public on Wednesday.” The CDC has yet to comment.
The data project was initiated by Dr. Deborah Birx, the White House coronavirus response coordinator, who said back in May: “There is nothing from the CDC that I can trust.”
A reminder about Trump’s view of the CDC:
For decades the @CDCgov looked at, and studied, its testing system, but did nothing about it. It would always be inadequate and slow for a large scale pandemic, but a pandemic would never happen, they hoped. President Obama made changes that only complicated things further…..
— Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) March 13, 2020
I disagree with @CDCgov on their very tough & expensive guidelines for opening schools. While they want them open, they are asking schools to do very impractical things. I will be meeting with them!!!
— Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) July 8, 2020
Trump’s retweet below now makes all the sense in the world, given that it came just days before the data collection switch was announced:
The CDC has also been viewed with suspicion and distrust by prominent Trump boosters, including John Cardillo to Sebastian Gorka to Fox News on-air personalities.
At the end of the day, it’s not as if CDC advisories have been fatally undermined or buried by the Trump administration or the president’s own pronouncements, right???
–Dana
Hello.
Dana (25e0dc) — 7/16/2020 @ 11:14 amThis is yet another case of Trump’s malevolence, tempered (hopefully) by his incompetence. Nothing good can come from this.
Paul Montagu (5ffc5f) — 7/16/2020 @ 11:36 amTrump has taken transparency away, thus allowing him to fudge the numbers. No word on whether Sharpies will be involved.
This will go swimmingly.
The only question I have is, does Stumpy think this will actually give him the ability to better-gaslight the country, or is the goal just to destroy knowledge transfer and create yet another recursive scandal to distract?
If I thought it would keep him occupied, I’d suggest taking a collection to send him prostitutes and singing telegram people dressed as courtiers for the next few months.
john (cd2753) — 7/16/2020 @ 11:37 amIt is amazing he’s still attacking the CDC on his damn twitter account. How are school boards supposed to work with data to make good decisions if everything is politicized?
Dustin (d0158a) — 7/16/2020 @ 11:41 amWhen has Trump demonstrated that his first and foremost concern during the pandemic has been the health and welfare of the American public? The pandemic is just another political football for him to use to benefit himself when he can, and wish it away when it becomes too intrusive in the minds of voters. And this isn’t even cynicism – it’s simply reality based on the president’s own actions and words.
Dana (25e0dc) — 7/16/2020 @ 11:45 amPasadena’s 2021 Tournament of Roses Parade was cancelled last night.
Have a Root Beer Float to nurse your hangover on New Year’s Day, instead.
DCSCA (797bc0) — 7/16/2020 @ 11:57 am@4 My most recent board meeting was a trashfire of trump believers. “I know you people don’t watch the same news channel that I do. But you should, because if you did you’d know that this is no worse than the flu and kids can’t get it. The media are partisan liars. No kids have it and if they do they can’t spread it. There aren’t any safety issues, teachers are being lazy and selfish.” Frack you lady.
Nic (896fdf) — 7/16/2020 @ 12:37 pmWhoever controls your information controls your destiny.
nk (1d9030) — 7/16/2020 @ 2:19 pmI’m a hospital worker. We have depended on up-to-the-minute guidelines from the CDC about best practices for PPE in order to protect ourselves against catching Covid from our patients.
This move scares the hell out of me.
TR (71e867) — 7/16/2020 @ 2:31 pmThanks, TR. Do you think this reflects the majority of hospital workers at all levels (from doctors to nurses to admitting, etc.) Is this a universal concern? I would like to hear what other health care workers think about this.
Dana (25e0dc) — 7/16/2020 @ 2:37 pmMS. MCENANY: No, the intent for this decision — and I talked extensively today with Dr. Birx, with Secretary Azar, and with Dr. Redfield about this. The intent of this is: We need to make sure that there is daily data that is being given to Dr. Birx and others who are running point on a lot of our actions with remdesivir and identifying hotspots.
And I would point out — and I just want to explain this because I think there’s been some confusion in the press — that there are two methods of data collection. One is the National Healthcare Safety Network, and this is a CDC system. And this is where hospitals voluntarily report their data, and about 81 percent of hospitals were reporting their data. So we don’t need 81 percent of hospitals reporting data; we need 100 percent of hospitals reporting data because it is critical that Dr. Birx and others receive the daily admissions, ICU use, and PPE numbers. And when you’re only getting 81 percent of hospital data, that means you’ve got 19 percent of hospitals that were unaware of their needs.
So what happened is we also have a second method of using — of tracking this data, and it’s the TeleTracker database, and this is an HHS system. And this was initially used for purposes of provider relief funding, and we asked hospitals to tell us about their COVID admissions so that we could identify possible hotspots.
And as it turns out, this data ended up being more complete, more up-to-date with information. And so, ensuring that hospitals are reporting into this system, where we’re getting more complete data, was the reason that HHS has had this transition where they’ve asked hospitals to transition reporting to the TeleTractor [sic] — TeleTracker system.
It’s important, especially with remdesivir distribution, that we know exactly where the needs are so we can surge them. So this —
Q And the CDC will still have access to this data (inaudible)?
MS. MCENANY: Yes, that’s right. So I did confirm that with Dr. Redfield, that this is completely open-source data available to the CDC. Secretary Azar says we insist that they use it. And no one — and Dr. Redfield confirmed this — no one is taking access or data away from the CDC. And that data is routinely published so that the American people are fully informed.
Yes.
Q So I wanted to follow on that, briefly. There’s been some complaints, particularly among independent modelers who are using the CDC data that was updated daily to, sort of, put out their public model — some of which the White House has relied on — that now those dashboards have been taken down. So I’m wondering if the administration would, sort of, commit to making the broader database a bit more available to the public.
MS. MCENANY: The CDC database is the public data that’s been out there. It’ll continue to be public. It should be public. And this is all about getting more data out there, not less data, and ensuring, in particular, that our doctors get that daily data
BuDuh (2f1d4f) — 7/16/2020 @ 3:00 pmLooks like you don’t have to be scared, TR. it appears to be another overreaction by the media.
BuDuh (2f1d4f) — 7/16/2020 @ 3:03 pmYou’re trying to use Kayleigh Mcenany’s statements as something that you’d bet the life of your favorite fruit fly on?
Like her boss, if she’s talking, she’s lying, plain and simple.
Colonel Klink (Ret) (305827) — 7/16/2020 @ 3:24 pmYeah, Baghdad McEnany always tells the truth. Sheesh!
And look at her phrasing: “The CDC database is the public data that’s been out there. It’ll continue to be public. It should be public.” The public data that’s “been” out there. Not the new data that will from now on be Jared Kushner’s “our data”. Sheesh, again.
nk (1d9030) — 7/16/2020 @ 3:28 pmMs. McEnany is spinning like a Baghdad Betty. ProPublica:
Malevolence tempered by incompetence.
Paul Montagu (5ffc5f) — 7/16/2020 @ 3:29 pmThe price is wrong, Chuck…
Paul Montagu (5ffc5f) — 7/16/2020 @ 3:37 pmOh wait, wrong show.
@8. “If you’ve got them by the balls, their hearts and minds will follow.” ― Theodore Roosevelt
DCSCA (797bc0) — 7/16/2020 @ 3:40 pm@7 My most recent board meeting was a trashfire of trump believers.
Really? In California? You must be out in the sticks.
norcal (a5428a) — 7/16/2020 @ 3:47 pm@18 Not crazy out in the cascades or Sierras or desert or anything, but I’m not directly in a metro either.
Nic (896fdf) — 7/16/2020 @ 4:47 pmThis was posted on my music forum. The person who posted it said it was from CNBC.
Kishnevi (280ffd) — 7/16/2020 @ 5:32 pm7… as an administrator, fortunately, you won’t have to worry about dealing with trashfire people for long.
Colonel Haiku (2601c0) — 7/16/2020 @ 5:37 pm15… funny how you people hoover up any and all leftwing propaganda.
ProPublica?
Colonel Haiku (2601c0) — 7/16/2020 @ 5:40 pm@19 Oh, I just love a good mystery. Woodland?
norcal (a5428a) — 7/16/2020 @ 6:26 pm“You people”?
Paul Montagu (5ffc5f) — 7/16/2020 @ 6:52 pmWhat’s funny is all the Trump sniffers using ad hominems to avoid the substance and content of the subjects they’re ad homming, all to airily dismiss a writer who’s been covering healthcare professionally since 2004 because he’s not telling them the narrative they want to hear. But I do acknowledge they lean left of center but rank “high” on the factual scale (link).
Hey Nic,
Do you agree with this teacher?
https://www.cougarboard.com/board/message.html?id=24063663
norcal (a5428a) — 7/16/2020 @ 6:58 pmOops. That link only works if one is a member of that site. (It’s a BYU sports board that I frequent.) Here is the text:
It’s certainly is nice to be disrespected in such a way by people who think that teaching is easy or…
That teachers would not rather go back into the classroom. Count me as one of those that has no desire to teach online when school starts for me next month. I have been teaching for 17 years and pride myself on the hard work that I do.
Let me tell you what it was like when we went to an online, distance learning situation. I got 4 hours of training on a learning management system that I did not know. Thankfully I am pretty computer savvy and was able to figure things out. But over the first two weeks I probably spent 90 to 100 hours each of the first two weeks trying to figure things out and to get my lessons converted over to some type of online platform. My student load was about 200 students last year.
I can tell you that preparing lessons, meaningful assignments, and something that would provide some type of learning for my students was not easy, nor was it ideal.
Once I got the LMS down I was back down to about 60 hours a week preparing lessons, filming videos for teaching, not to mention keeping up with all the grading.
And, if the same thing happens again, I will work just as hard to try to teach my students the best that I can.
Just for a little more personal information, I am 52 years old and have underlying health conditions that put me a greater risk, but I still want to go back to the classroom and teach kids normally. I would be lying, however, if I said I was not concerned.
But I know, that while maybe there are teachers unions in states like California that maybe putting forth the idea that teachers don’t want to go back, I can tell you that almost all rank and file teachers would rather go back and teach in the classroom.
So please, before you spout off about not paying people, just at least think about this example of one teacher who worked as tail off and will do so again whether it is in the classroom or online.
—-
Adrielle
norcal (a5428a) — 7/16/2020 @ 7:01 pm@21 I didn’t say the people were a trashfire, I said the meeting was. They might be perfectly nice wrongheaded people, but I only know one of them and she is a fine person who has very very specific blind-spots related directly to only her children. Also, I am not a DO type admin, I’m a student contact type admin, so I deal with parents (some of whom are, yes, challenging. But they are mostly the drug addicted ones.).
@23 Not a bad guess, but I will neither confirm not deny any guesses. The only specific I’ll give is that it is not Davis.
Nic (896fdf) — 7/16/2020 @ 7:12 pm@26 I would say that’s pretty close to where most of my teachers are.
There are some who have a lot of anxiety about going back because of personal or family health issues. Personally, I’m pretty sure that I will get covid at some point or have already been exposed and I’m kind of fatalistic about it.
I don’t know of any unions saying the teachers don’t want to come back, but they’ve all been pretty emphatic that there need to be safety procedures.
Nic (896fdf) — 7/16/2020 @ 7:19 pm@27 Ha! I already considered Davis, and ruled it out. College town=liberal=non-Trumpkin.
That’s cool. I understand the preference for anonymity. One of the great things about being retired is that I don’t have to worry about speaking my mind. 🙂
norcal (a5428a) — 7/16/2020 @ 7:29 pm@30 😛 The community gets weird about what educators post on the internet, so I don’t exist under my real name anywhere in social-media. “I understand that you are concerned, Mrs. Nosypants, but teachers have a right to wear a speedo when swimming just like everyone else. Mr. Waytoobodyconfident can buy any swimsuit he wants to. It is not a school issue unless he wears it to teach class.”
Nic (896fdf) — 7/16/2020 @ 7:51 pmOh, I totally get it. Teachers have to live like saints nowadays.
I have another school-teaching story that my mom told me recently.
She taught English and French in secondary schools. During one of her French classes, she had to temporarily leave the classroom. While she was gone, one or more of the students wrote on the blackboard “Mrs. Johnson is a sh*t head” in French. However, the French word for sh*t, “merde”, was misspelled.
When my mom returned to the classroom, she said, “Whoever wrote that can’t spell sh*t!”
The class laughed.
My mom had such a good rapport with her students that she didn’t get in trouble for incidents like these.
norcal (a5428a) — 7/16/2020 @ 9:27 pmAnd, this was in Utah!
norcal (a5428a) — 7/16/2020 @ 9:31 pm@31 Your mom always sounds like a cool lady in your stories.
Nic (896fdf) — 7/16/2020 @ 9:48 pmShe’s the best.
norcal (a5428a) — 7/16/2020 @ 9:57 pmSpeaking of “White House orders”, there’s something seriously disturbing going on in Portland.
Paul Montagu (5ffc5f) — 7/17/2020 @ 12:04 ambuh bye amash.
mg (8cbc69) — 7/17/2020 @ 2:11 am