Federal health officials have identified and removed guidance documents released during the Trump administration that were not science-based and were not “primarily authorized” by Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) staff. according to an internal review by the agency.
The review specifically mentioned three reports issued by the Trump administration that had already been removed from the agency’s website: guidelines on reopening schools published in July, guidelines on “reopening America” issued in the April and guidance on COVID-19 tests issued in August.
The review was conducted by CDC Deputy Director General Anne Schuchat at the request of the agency’s director. Rochelle WalenskyRochelle Walensky The Hill’s Morning Report – Presented by the National Shooting Sports Foundation – Biden: Returning to normal means “beating the virus” CDC Director: “I’m worried about the day the vaccine will stop being free”: “Don’t stop the guard completely “MORE, as part of a promise to restore public confidence in the CDC.
It was first reported by The Washington Post.
In a note to Walensky summarizing the findings, Schuchat said the review “will ensure that all existing CDC guidelines related to COVID-19 are evidence-based and policy-free.”
The review found that some guidelines “were not authorized primarily by CDC personnel,” that some used language that was not as strong as it could have been, and that it needed to be updated based on new evidence.
Schuchat also recommended improvements to help the public find them more easily when new guidelines are published or existing guidelines are updated. The report said that it was often difficult to “decipher the basic recommendations” in lengthy guidance documents and that “it was difficult to find the crux of what was new or changed.”
The three withdrawn documents provoked a backlash from experts at the time they were issued and raised concerns that Trump administration political officials were involved in the science-based recommendations.
The CDC orientation the country’s reopening from April turned out to be much less detailed than the originally drafted guidelines.
The focus on schools focused largely on the benefits of face-to-face classes and minimized the risks. The document was released in late July, weeks after the president attacked the previous guidelines, in a tweet that was “very harsh and expensive.” He retired in October.
Last August, the CDC faced significant reactions from public health officials, local health departments, and members of Congress as they did so. changed its guidance to state that asymptomatic people “do not necessarily need a test” even if they have had close contact with confirmed cases.
The agency made the move by updating its website, but made no public announcement or explained the reasoning behind the main review. It was like that replaced in September.