Some COVID-19 data was removed from the CDC's website after reporting shifted to HHS, and while the data was later republished, the agency says it will no longer update the site, as reported by CNBC.
On July 15, hospitals began reporting daily COVID-19 data on patient volumes, bed counts and available supplies to HHS instead of the CDC. The new protocol removes direct contact with the CDC and has states and federal contractors gather data before sending it to the federal government.
HHS officials said July 15 that the change was made to guarantee that the White House and other federal agencies had relevant information driving critical decisions, according to CNBC.
After the change, previously public data on hospital bed availability disappeared from the CDC's website. Some has now been reloaded, though the CDC site says, "This file will not be updated after July 14, 2020, and includes data from April 1 to July 14."
"HHS is committed to being transparent with the American public about the information it is collecting on the coronavirus," HHS spokesperson Michael Caputo said in a statement to reporters. "Therefore, HHS has directed CDC to re-establish the coronavirus dashboards it withdrew from the public on Wednesday."