Ron Johnson blasts CDC for withholding COVID-19 hospitalization data from public

Sen. Ron Johnson put the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention on notice in a letter Tuesday for the agency’s “disturbing and shameful” lack of transparency surrounding COVID-19 data.

The CDC has published only a small portion of the data it has collected on COVID-19 hospitalizations, vaccines, and wastewater analyses in part because the agency feared the information might have been misinterpreted by the public, the New York Times reported in February.

“In the midst of a pandemic, it is unacceptable that CDC would withhold relevant data on COVID-19 that could inform the public and potentially save lives,” Johnson wrote to CDC Director Rochelle Walensky.

CDC WITHHOLDS LARGE AMOUNTS OF KEY COVID-19 DATA

Johnson, a Wisconsin Republican, also said the CDC was “grossly arrogant” for its repeated refusal to respond to or provide adequate answers to eight of his previous COVID-19 oversight requests since May 2021.

Johnson’s unanswered inquiries to the CDC included requests for data related to COVID-19 vaccine effectiveness, information on the effectiveness of natural immunity against COVID-19, and records related to early treatments for the virus.

“Throughout the pandemic, CDC and other health agencies have promoted inconsistent policies and recommendations regarding COVID-19,” Johnson said. “Many Americans who voiced concerns about these policies have been subjected to ridicule, vilification, and censorship from the press.”… (Excerpt from the Washington Examiner)