It’s never a good thing when a federal public health agency issues guidance on a pandemic and then pulls that guidance hours later. It doesn’t make the public feel confident about its proclamations.
The Center for Disease Control and Prevention now faces such credibility problems after it posted guidelines this morning about the potential airborne transmission of coronavirus, only to pull that announcement hours later.
Per the Washington Post, the CDC issued a statement Monday morning that the coronavirus can be aerosols, or airborne particles, are an effective way for the virus to spread, thereby having the agency fall in line with independent researchers.
The agency, however, withdrew that statement by midday, claiming “that does not reflect our current state of knowledge.”
“There is growing evidence that droplets and airborne particles can remain suspended in the air and be breathed in by others, and travel distances beyond 6 feet (for example, during choir practice, in restaurants, or in fitness classes),” the agency stated. “In general, indoor environments without good ventilation increase this risk.”
That statement would throw into doubt affirmations from the administration that schools–which typically do not have exceptionally high air quality–are not likely hot spots for outbreaks. And it marked a welcomed breath of reality into the politicized handling of the virus.
“It’s a major change,” Jose-Luis Jimenez, a chemistry professor at the University of Colorado at Boulder who studies how aerosols spread the virus, told The Washington Post. “This is a good thing, if we can reduce transmission because more people understand how it is spreading and know what to do to stop it.”
However, the Administration quickly changed course by reverting back to its old position on the CDC website less than six hours later. The website now displays this disclaimer:
A draft version of proposed changes to these recommendations was posted in error to the agency’s official website. CDC is currently updating its recommendations regarding airborne transmission of SARS-CoV-2 (the virus that causes COVID-19). Once this process has been completed, the update language will be posted.