Federal health officials have identified and removed guidance documents released during the Trump administration that were not “ primarily ” written by Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) personnel, according to an agency internal review.
The review specifically cited three reports from the Trump administration that had already been removed from the agency’s website: guidelines for school reopening issued in July, guidelines for “America’s reopening” issued in April, and guidelines for COVID-19 testing issued. in August.
The review was conducted by the CDC’s chief deputy director, 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: Back to ‘normal’ still means’ beat the virus’ CDC director: ‘I’m concerned about the day the vaccine will no longer be free Fauci for spring breakers: ‘Don’t put your guard down all the way’ MORE, as part of a pledge to restore public confidence in the CDC.
It was first reported by The Washington Post.
In a memo to Walensky summarizing the findings, Schuchat said the review “will ensure that all existing CDC guidelines regarding COVID-19 are evidence-based and free from politics.”
The review found that some guidelines were “not primarily written by CDC staff,” some used languages that weren’t as strong as it could have been, and some needed to be updated based on new evidence.
Schuchat also recommended improvements to help the public find it easier when new guidelines are posted or existing guidelines are updated. The memo said it was often difficult to “decipher the core recommendations” in lengthy guidance documents and that “the core of what was new or changed was hard to find.”
All three of the removed documents met with backlash from experts at the time of their release and raised concerns that Trump administration political officials were interfering with science-based recommendations.
The CDCs guidance the reopening of the land from April turned out to be much less detailed than the originally drafted guidelines.
Guidance in schools focused strongly on the benefits of in-person lessons and downplayed the risks. The document was released in late July, weeks after the president attacked earlier guidelines and tweeted that they were “very tough and expensive.” It was removed in October.
Last August, the CDC faced significant backlash from public health officials, local health departments and members of Congress changed the guideline to state that people without symptoms “do not necessarily need a test”, even if they have been in close contact with confirmed cases.
The agency made the move by updating its website, but did not make a public announcement or explain the reasoning behind the major overhaul. It was to replace in September.