The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention plans to take back its role as the main agency collecting hospital data on infectious disease threats, after being stripped of the job mid-pandemic because of its slow response.
The move is rekindling a debate about the Atlanta-based agency’s handling of the virus and its ability to adjust quickly to a fast-moving pathogen. Supporters say the new proposed regulation would make needed changes to how the CDC’s National Healthcare Safety Network operates, easing its ability to get data into its system.
But more than a half-dozen current and former U.S. health officials involved in the pandemic response told Bloomberg News that they were concerned about the NHSN’s ability to scale up and process that data in real time.
