HHS unveils new coronavirus hospitalization database, says it’s more complete than CDC’s – Latest Breaking News Updates

The Trump administration unveiled a new web site of Covid-19 hospitalization information that officers stated gives a more complete image of the outbreak than the information beforehand compiled by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

The administration instructed hospitals final week to cease reporting to the CDC’s long-standing National Healthcare Safety Network, which offers officers “with data needed to identify problem areas, measure progress of prevention efforts, and ultimately eliminate healthcare-associated infections.” Instead, hospitals have been instructed to report such information by a new portal with HHS.

Officials stated the choice was made to streamline information reporting and to offer HHS officers with real-time information used to make choices reminiscent of how one can distribute the nation’s scarce provide of Covid-19 therapy remdesivir. Public well being specialists and former well being officers who spoke with CNBC stated the CDC’s system wanted to be overhauled, however acknowledged that shifting management away from the well being company within the midst of a public well being disaster raises some purple flags.

Jose Arrieta, HHS’ chief data officer, stated Monday on a convention name with reporters that the CDC’s reporting system solely collected information from about 3,000 of the nation’s roughly 6,200 hospitals. HHS’ new system collects information from about 4,500 hospitals most days, he added.

“We’re showing you a data set that is more robust and has more coverage than anything we have published, historically, before,” he stated. “Data is the single most important thing is being able to respond and we want to create a national discussion around the importance of data sharing in responding to a pandemic like Covid-19.”

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