The CDC has unveiled the first national system for tracking the coronavirus pandemic in the U.S., which will provide weekly updates. 'We need something much more than that,' said one global health expert. 'Pandemics do not take weekends off.'
The federal government Saturday unveiled the first detailed national system for tracking the coronavirus pandemic in the United States.will provide weekly updates aimed at monitoring the outbreak across the country, based on the results of tests for the virus, people seeking care for flu-like systems and pneumonia and those diagnosed with COVID-19, the disease caused by the virus.
"I think it's really important," Lynnette Brammer of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, who's leading the effort, told NPR in an interview."Information is vitally important. It allows us to see where we're going." The shortage of testing for the coronavirus has been a major problem hindering the nation's ability to understand the scope of the pandemic in the United States and develop the most effective counter measures, many public health experts say.
The absence of a coordinated national tracking system forced states to scramble to develop their own approaches, drawing from data routinely gathered from doctors and hospitals to monitor the flu every"I think the information will be valuable," saysBut Lipsitch and others criticized the agency for failing to develop a system like this much sooner and said the system still falls far short of what's needed. For example, information is really needed on a daily basis, several said.
Singapore Latest News, Singapore Headlines
Similar News:You can also read news stories similar to this one that we have collected from other news sources.
Trump: CDC recommends voluntary use of face masks for public to stem spread of coronavirusPrevious guidance stated the general public did not need to wear masks unless they came into contact with coronavirus patients or if they were sick.
Read more »
Trump says CDC advises cloth masks to protect against coronavirus, but he will not wear onePresident Donald Trump said the CDC recommends using a cloth face covering to protect against coronavirus, but said he does not plan to do so himself.
Read more »
An interview with the CDC director on coronavirus, masks, and an agency gone quietRobert Redfield, director of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, describes the coronavirus pandemic as the greatest public health crisis in a century.
Read more »