Chairwoman Johnson Questions CDC Decision-making on COVID-19 Testing Protocols
(Dallas, TX) –Today, Chairwoman Eddie Bernice Johnson (D-TX) sent a letter to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) Director, Dr. Robert Redfield, requesting the Agency preserve the records that address CDC decision-making on diagnostic test protocols as coronavirus emerged in the United States in early 2020. In January, CDC decided not to deploy test kits that had been made available by the World Health Organization (WHO). In February, the test kits developed independently by the CDC were found to yield a high percentage of inaccurate results, as 36 of the 50 labs began reporting issues with test kits they had received. Chairwoman Johnson also requested information from the CDC on what missteps caused the diagnostic kits to be faulty.
Because CDC remains a critical actor in the federal response to COVID-19, the Chairwoman will coordinate with CDC and the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) on a records production schedule that allows their staff to stay focused on the immediate health crisis at this time.
“Because the development of a new diagnostic test takes time, it may have been advantageous for the CDC to start first by seeking to deploy the WHO-published testing protocols as quickly as possible,” said Chairwoman Johnson in the letter. “The health and safety of the American people depend on the CDC’s use of the best available science, quality control practices, and complete data sets when making public health conclusions. Until the sequence of events in January and early February around COVID-19 testing are better understood, public confidence in the CDC and its ability to understand and mitigate this crisis - and any future emerging infectious diseases - will remain in doubt.”
A copy of the full letter can be found here.
Next Article Previous Article