CDC Not Publishing Large Amounts of COVID-19 Data
The U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention has released only a fraction of the data it has collected about the COVID-19 pandemic. New York Times, It is reported concerning several people familiar with the data. That CDC published information on the effectiveness of boosters for people under 65 two weeks ago, but did not provide data for people aged 18-49, the age group least likely to benefit from boosters because they are already well protected by the first two shots, Time said.
Some outside health experts were stunned to learn that the CDC withheld information about COVID.
“We have been begging for this level of detail for two years,” said Jessica Malati Rivera, an epidemiologist, and member of the team that led the Covid tracking project Time. A more detailed picture would boost public confidence, she said.
When asked to comment, CDC spokeswoman Kristen Nordlund said the agency withheld some information “because, after all, she’s not ready for prime time yet.”
The CDC is prioritizing the accuracy of the information, she said, adding that the CDC fears the public may misinterpret some of the information.
Rivera rejected the idea that information should be withheld to avoid misinterpretation.
“We are much more at risk of misinterpreting data with a data vacuum than sharing data with proper science, communication, and caution,” she said.
“Tell the truth, present the data,” he said. “I have to believe that there is a way to explain these things so that people can understand them.”
The CDC has been repeatedly criticized for its lack of transparency. Last year, the CDC released information about breakthrough cases, but only when a person was sick enough to be hospitalized. People who were vaccinated who tested positive and isolated at home were not included in the count, raising questions about the effectiveness of the vaccines.
