CDC removes false Trump-era Covid recommendations that purported to come from scientists

New director says of sweeping agency-wide review: ‘It is imperative for the American people to trust CDC’

The CDC has identified a range of misleading and otherwise false messaging on the coronavirus pandemic as part of an effort to rebuild public trust after former President Donald Trump’s administration seemingly used the federal agency to push misinformation about the virus. 

For example, one of the documents removed by the agency released under Mr Trump last year downplayed the health risks associated with Covid-19 while urging the country to reopen schools, according to the Washington Post.

While that document purported to come directly from the CDC, it had not been drafted or even discussed within the federal agency, the newspaper reported.

Another document released in September appeared to directly refute testing recommendations supported by the entire international scientific community, which require individuals to get tested for Covid-19 if they have had contact with someone infected with the virus. Instead, the Trump-era guidelines suggested asymptomatic individuals did not actually require testing.

The review of the former administration’s CDC guidelines, announced by the agency’s new chief, Rochelle Walensky, was done to help move the agency “forward with science, transparency and clarity leading the way,” the director said in a statement. 

“It is imperative for the American people to trust CDC,” she said. “If they don’t, preventable illness and injury can occur — and, tragically, lives can and will be lost. This agency and its critical health information cannot be vulnerable to undue influence, and this report helps outline our path to rebuilding confidence and ensuring the information that CDC shares with the American people is based on sound science that will keep us, our loved ones, and our communities healthy and safe.”

In total, the CDC has updated and created an additional dozen major guidances since Mr Biden took office and Ms Walensky was appointed the director of the agency. 

Under the previous administration, another document lacked the proper detail and specificity surrounding reopening measures for states and localities.

“This is something that I will not allow as CDC director,” the new director said in her statement. “The processes we have in place moving forward will ensure this cannot and will not occur.”

Along the campaign trail and upon entering office, Mr Biden vowed to let science lead the way in the fight against Covid-19, promising to distribute 100 million vaccinations across the country within his first 100 days in office — a target he appeared on track to reach this week. 

However, the new administration has faced difficulty with issues surrounding equity, as well as vaccine hesitancy in some demographics, including some Republicans and nearly half of the former president’s supporters, according to one recent poll.

Reports have since indicated those within Mr Trump’s inner circle were urging him to release a PSA discussing the benefits of getting inoculated against the virus.