#CDC director wasn’t told of decision to send COVID-19 data directly to DC

The head of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention admitted on Friday that he was not informed ahead of time about the change in reporting on coronavirus data from hospitals.

Rep. Maxine Waters (D-Calif.) probed Dr. Robert Redfield about when he learned of the order from the Trump administration earlier this month requiring hospitals to bypass the CDC and instead report the information on coronavirus patients directly to a central database in Washington.

“We weren’t directly involved in the final decision but what I can say is the CDC then and now continues to have access to all data,” Redfield responded. “There’s no restriction of any of the data.”

He also said he didn’t discuss the decision with Vice President Mike Pence or HHS Secretary Alex Azar, saying he was informed of the move “once the [Health and Human Services] Secretary’s office made the decision.”

Redfield was on Capitol Hill with Dr. Anthony Fauci, director of the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases and member of the White House Coronavirus Task Force, and Adm. Brett Giroir, assistant secretary of HHS, to testify before a special House subcommittee on the country’s coronavirus plan.

Redfield told lawmakers on the House Select Subcommittee on the Coronavirus Crisis that it was in the “public health interest” to open up schools come the fall.