Experts fear lasting damage to CDC’s status

Scientists battling virus complain of weak leadership, censoring.

Frustrated CDC employees and public health experts are sounding alarms about the Atlanta-based agency, worried that its own leadership has irreparably damaged its standing and influence by undermining the scientists battling the pandemic.

Too often, some inside and outside the CDC say, Director Robert Redfield has been hesitant when decisive action was needed, largely absent from the national stage when the public was looking for leadership, and acquiescent when asked to bend to political considerations.

“I’ve heard much more in the media from (Dr. Tom) Frieden, former head of CDC, during the COVID-19 response than Redfield. Where’s Redfield?” a long-time employee told the AJC. “I’m also disturbed Redfield hasn’t spoken up when Trump says something outrageous and possibly dangerous. He’s contributed to a weak federal response.”

Chinese officials in Wuhan acknowledge grappling with a mysterious new disease with symptoms similar to pneumonia.

Chinese researchers provide the COVID-19 genome sequence to U.S. health officials, allowing development of a test.

China reports its first coronavirus death.

CDC activates its emergency operations center.

First known U.S. death occurs in Santa Clara County, California.

Feb. 6 and 7

CDC ships test kits to laboratories in all 50 states.

CDC becomes aware of problems reported by several state laboratories when trying to validate the tests. Specifically, one of three negative controls malfunctions, resulting in inconclusive results.

Dr. Nancy Messonnier, a CDC official leading the agency’s coronavirus response, contradicts President Trump’s narrative that the virus will be contained. President Trump, on a state visit to India at the time, becomes enraged as stocks plummet.

After weeks of investigating problems with test kits, the CDC tells state labs to throw out the faulty negative control and proceed with the other two.

Trump tours the CDC in Atlanta, telling reporters, “The tests are beautiful. Anybody that needs a test gets a test.”He is accompanied by CDC Director Robert Redfield, U.S. Secretary of Health and Human Services Alex Azar, Georgia Gov. Brian Kemp and Georgia U.S. senators David Perdue and Kelly Loeffler.

The CDC holds a news briefing, its last until May 29. Vice President Mike Pence, head of the White House task force, takes control of clearing CDC communications about the virus. Dr. Deborah Birx, the White House task force coordinator, and Dr. Anthony Fauci of the National Institutes of Health become the chief voices of science.

The White House issues its first socialdistancing guidelines, which include dismissing school and avoiding groups of 10 people or more.

President Trump announces the CDC recommendation that all Americans wear“a basic cloth or fabric mask”when they go outside. Trump also says,“I don’t think I’m going to be doing it.”

Redfield tells The Washington Post another coronavirus outbreak is likely in the winter, which will be “more difficult than the one we just went through” because it will happen alongside the flu.

Calling the Washington Post’s headline on the story“ridiculous”and“fake news,” Trump pressures Redfield to say he was misquoted. Redfield disputes the headline but reiterates, “The issue I was talking about being more difficult is that we’re going to have two viruses circulating at the same time.”

White House officials shelve the CDC’s draft guidance written to help churches, businesses and schools start to reopen. An anonymously quoted administration official says the guidelines were never approved by Redfield to present to the White House task force, but emails obtained by The Associated Press show Redfield did approve.

The CDC releases six “decision trees” on its website meant to help schools, transit systems, restaurants, bars and other businesses safely reopen. Houses of worship aren’t included. A full 60-page guidance document, reduced from an original 68 pages, is quietly posted the following weekend.

In a story based on interviews with six anonymous CDC employees, CNN reports the agency delayed posting a global air travel alert for six days in March, for unexplained reasons.

The CDC acknowledges mixing viral and antibody test results in its statistics, potentially muddying the picture of infection levels and the availability of tests. The agency blames an antiquated system for collecting data from states and says it will work to separate the figures.

The CDC releases guidelines for reopening churches, which Trump calls “essential.” Original recommendations for a phased-in relaunch of worship services are omitted.

The U.S. death toll surpasses 100,000.

The CDC’s daily briefings resume, with Redfield defending his agency’s response to the virus and addressing a new CDC report saying community spread was happening as early as January.