Analysts say the Trump administration’s new online COVID-19 data system that bypasses the old platform managed by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) leads to delays and misinformation.
According to data analysts interviewed by NPR, the new system using data aggregated by the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) allegedly contains errors and inconsistencies, with listed accounts of medical facilities reporting difficulties sending information to HHS.
The delays in data reports leave the exact numbers of available hospital beds, ventilators and other vital equipment for treating COVID-19 somewhat unknown, relative to when new reports are published.
Lisa Lee, a former chief science officer for public health surveillance at the CDC, told NPR, “If the information is not accurate, it could cost time — and lives.”
This month, the White House announced new requirements instructing hospitals and medical facilities to bypass the CDC on COVID-19 data reporting.
CDC Director Robert Redfield said during a hearing Friday with the House Select Subcommittee on the Coronavirus Response that the agency was not “directly involved in the final decision” for HHS to bypass the CDC.
He added that the “CDC then and now continues to have access to all data, does all the data analytics, so there’s no restriction of any of the data.”This article was originally found on thehill.com
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