The American Academy of Family Physicians joined with the American Academy of Pediatrics, the American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists, the American College of Physicians, the American Osteopathic Association, and the American Psychiatric Association on July 17 to urge Vice President Mike Pence and Health and Human Service Secretary Alex Azar to affirm the role of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) as the key agency charged with protecting public health both during pandemics and under normal circumstances.
The Supporting the CDC During COVID-19 letter states, “Collaboration and coordination between the members of the Coronavirus Task Force, the CDC, and state and local health departments is fundamental to stopping the virus.”
“Our organizations are very concerned by the recent reports that the administration is considering narrowing the CDC’s mission, in particular the decision to use a private collection system for hospital data reporting for COVID-19 hospitalizations, deaths, availability of intensive care unit beds, and other crucial resources while bypassing the CDC. Transparency is essential to effectively address the continued rise in COVID-19 cases and limiting access to these or other data will impact public health and clinical response to the virus, ultimately leading to unnecessary harm. The growing sense of misinformation and mistrust in the United States will be exacerbated by policies that limit transparency and undermine public confidence in the accuracy of government information about of the true impact of this pandemic.”