Letter to Dr. Robert Redfield, Director of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention - McBath Criticizes Recent Decision by Administration to Circumvent CDC During Fulton County Town Hall

Letter

Dear Director Redfield,

Our nation continues to face unprecedented challenges in the fight against the COVID-19 pandemic. As we continue to see rising cases of COVID-19 throughout the country, stronger public health surveillance and data infrastructure is essential for mitigation of the virus. Unfortunately, existing public health data infrastructure was lacking interoperability, and data collection did not meet the needs of public health officials, hindering their ability to properly address this public health emergency. Currently, data sharing between relevant parties is time-consuming and often relies on paper-based methods, including fax. The inefficiency of these methods had significant consequences on detection and response to the COVID-19 public health emergency.

Since the emergence of COVID-19 there have been significant gaps in data, including missing information about pregnant women, who were initially not thought to be at higher-risk for COVID-19. However, it has been shown that expectant mothers with COVID-19 have a 50 percent higher chance of admission to intensive care and a 70 percent higher chance of being intubated as non-pregnant women.[1] There have also been significant lags in demographic data for people infected with COVID-19. We now know the scope of the disparity in health outcomes based on race and socio-economic conditions, however the collection of that data lagged several weeks after it was initially reported.

In order to address these issues, Congress has appropriated $1.5 billion in funding to update and improve the public health surveillance and data systems at the CDC, this includes over $500 million I initially proposed to update public health data infrastructure in December. This money was intended to restore the faith of the public in the CDC and ensure that they have every resource to fight this virus. Therefore, I respectfully request answers to the following questions:

1. How does the CDC plan to use the data modernization funding to better prepare and respond to potential future pandemics?

2. What steps has the CDC taken to improve timeliness and quality of data?

3. Has the CDC made progress on integration of data systems with local and state public health departments, and what barriers is the CDC facing in making these integrations?

4. How has the CDC decided to split funding with state and local health departments?

5. Is the CDC engaged in any private-public partnerships to speed up implementation, and if so, which companies are being considered?

6. What innovative technologies are being leveraged to help in the fight against COVID-19 and future public health emergencies?

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention will be vital to this effort, and I want to thank you for the work you have done over the last few months. However, there is more work to be done. Thank you for your dedication to this fight against COVID-19 and for your commitment to improving the public health of this country. I look forward to hearing from you and to working with you on this important issue.

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