CDC ready for Biden transition: ‘This is what we expected’

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“That’s what we expected, is that they send their landing team here and settle in,” a senior CDC official said on Tuesday after the General Service administration’s verification statement.
On Monday, the GSA informed President-elect Joe Biden that the Trump administration was ready to begin the formal transition process, according to a letter from Administrator Emily Murphy, marking the first step the Trump administration has taken in recognizing the defeat of President Donald Trump – more than two weeks after Biden was declared the election winner.

The Biden team was unable to access funding or participate in transition talks with government staff until the GSA initiated the process, raising concerns about the transition , especially as the Biden team is preparing to take charge of the response to the ongoing coronavirus pandemic and the distribution of a vaccine.

The senior CDC official told CNN they expected there to be a “rebuilding of the agency” under Biden, although this is standard operating procedure in any transition of administrations.

When asked if there was more enthusiasm among senior CDC leaders on Tuesday morning due to the start of the transition, the official replied emphatically, “Yes!”

A federal health official declined to say whether they spoke directly to anyone on Biden’s transition team on Tuesday morning. But after going through many administrative transitions, “the CDC benefits when it happens quickly,” the official said.

“From experience, the faster you get there, the better,” the manager said of the transition.

The official said there seemed to be more enthusiasm for the CDC to be able to restart regular briefings, which were ordered to be halted by the Trump administration at the start of the pandemic.

“Man oh man, I hope so,” the official said of the CDC’s return to a more visible role.

The federal health official with knowledge of operations said the CDC continues to lead the public health response through its emergency operations center.

“There are thousands of employees who continue to work on this subject. Whether in the laboratory or in the field, including developing advice, formulating and performing different studies to learn more about transmission and what types of advice is effective to prevent transmission. of disease. “

The official noted that the CDC has kept in daily contact with states regarding vaccine distribution and deployment. Additionally, as the country grapples with record infections and hospitalizations, schools continue to be at the center of the response, the official said.

“The CDC continues to analyze data from schools and, if necessary, will refine or build on existing guidance for schools.”

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