Tessa Quinn
Hospitals are still reporting to the CDC, but the nature of this reporting has changed in recent years. The CDC has faced criticism for its handling of the COVID-19 pandemic, with some arguing that it failed to meet expectations and provide clear and consistent messaging. In 2022, the CDC ended its daily reporting of COVID-19 cases and deaths, switching to a weekly reporting schedule. Additionally, the CDC has been criticised for its lack of communication with the public, with some of its main channels for sharing urgent health information going silent. The CDC has also faced staff layoffs, with thousands of employees losing their jobs, and certain programs being shut down. However, the CDC continues to receive and utilise data from hospitals, such as respiratory virus data, which it uses to assess national trends, identify threats to intensive care unit capacity, and detect early signs of surges.
| Characteristics | Values |
|---|---|
| Hospitals report respiratory virus data to the CDC | Yes, including critical access hospitals |
| CDC's communication with the public | Reduced since the Trump administration took power in 2025 |
| CDC's social media presence | Reduced |
| CDC's public health warnings | Reduced |
| CDC staffing | Reduced by thousands in April 2025, with some reinstatements in June 2025 |
| CDC programs | Some have been shut down, including those focused on smoking, lead poisoning, gun violence, asthma, air quality, and workplace safety and health |
| CDC's performance | Failed to "reliably meet expectations" during the COVID-19 outbreak, according to Dr. Rochelle Walensky |
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What You'll Learn
Hospitals report respiratory virus data to the CDC
Hospitals are still reporting respiratory virus data to the CDC. The CDC's National Healthcare Safety Network measure requires hospitals to report respiratory virus data regularly. This mandate has added new layers of responsibility for infection preventionists (IPs). IPs are facing a new wave of data-driven responsibilities, and the reporting requirement is straining their resources. IPs are advised to make infection prevention a shared responsibility to ensure accurate and timely reporting. The CDC uses the data to assess national trends, identify threats to intensive care unit capacity, and detect early signs of surges.
The CDC's Hospital Respiratory Reporting Rule requires hospitals to report data on respiratory illnesses, including COVID-19, to the CDC. This reporting rule has been in place since at least 2022, when the CDC ended its daily reporting of COVID-19 cases and deaths, shifting to a weekly schedule. The CDC's decision to reduce the frequency of reporting was made to allow for additional reporting flexibility, reduce the reporting burden on states and jurisdictions, and maximize surveillance resources.
The CDC also conducts random sampling of pediatric hospitals across the US to gauge the prevalence of respiratory viruses. In August 2021, the CDC reported that nearly 700 children across seven wards were hospitalized with respiratory illnesses, with over half testing positive for respiratory syncytial virus (RSV). This was the highest level ever recorded in the summer, attributed to the pandemic restrictions forcing many to stay indoors.
In early 2022, the CDC faced criticism for its handling of the COVID-19 pandemic, with Dr. Rochelle Walensky, Director of the CDC, admitting that the agency failed to "reliably meet expectations." There have been calls for organizational changes and improvements to the CDC's performance, including better preparation, quicker response times, and clearer communication.
In early 2025, the CDC faced another challenge with the layoff of about 2,400 employees across federal health agencies, resulting in the shutdown of entire programs focused on critical public health issues. However, in June 2025, hundreds of laid-off CDC employees were reinstated, though some argued that this did not undo the damage caused by the cuts to federal public health.
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The CDC uses hospital data to assess national trends and threats to intensive care unit capacity
Hospitals are still reporting to the CDC, and the CDC uses hospital data to assess national trends and threats to intensive care unit capacity. The CDC's National Healthcare Safety Network measure requires hospitals to report respiratory virus data regularly. This includes critical access hospitals. The data is used to assess national trends and identify threats to intensive care unit capacity. IPs, or infection preventionists, are responsible for collecting and reporting this data. However, they often face challenges due to limited resources and the strain of additional responsibilities.
The CDC's hospital respiratory reporting rule has added new layers of responsibility for IPs, who must now treat data collection and reporting as a team effort. IPs can gain insights from regularly checking CDC dashboards and internal data summaries, which are used to create different types of dashboards and summary reports for researchers and health departments.
The CDC's data collection and reporting have faced criticism in recent years, particularly during the COVID-19 pandemic. In 2022, the CDC ended its daily reporting of COVID-19 cases and deaths, shifting to a weekly schedule. This move was made to increase reporting flexibility and reduce the burden on states and jurisdictions. However, it also led to concerns about a lack of clear and consistent messaging from the CDC.
Additionally, there have been concerns about communication bottlenecks within the CDC, with employees stating that fewer than half of their public health posts on social media have been approved for publication. This has resulted in a decrease in public health warnings and important information being shared with the public.
In early 2025, there were also significant cuts to the CDC's workforce, with around 2,400 employees losing their jobs. While some employees have since been reinstated, members of Fired But Fighting, a group of affected CDC workers, have protested the damage done by the Kennedy and Trump administrations to federal public health. They argue that the reinstatements do not undo the harm caused by program cuts, which will lead to increased disease and death.
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The CDC's communication with the public has decreased
The CDC's Morbidity and Mortality Weekly Report, the agency's publication of public health information and recommendations, was regularly posted across the CDC's main social media platforms, like Facebook and Twitter. Scientists and other communication professionals at the CDC could also suggest other health facts to be posted on the agency's main platforms. These posts included information on various topics, such as how COVID-19 was spreading in 2020, how to prevent bacterial infections, and how to get screened for chronic illnesses. The CDC's social media presence allowed it to communicate plain language, life-saving messages to America.
The decrease in communication from the CDC has had negative consequences. For example, during an outbreak of listeria, pregnant individuals were not warned about the risks of consuming food items that might contain the bacteria, potentially putting their babies at risk.
The layoffs and communication cuts at the CDC have been attributed to the Trump administration and Secretary Kennedy. Members of "Fired But Fighting," a group of affected CDC workers, have protested and called for Kennedy's resignation. They argue that the reinstatement of a few hundred workers is not enough to undo the damage done to federal public health. Whole CDC programs were essentially shut down, including those focused on smoking, lead poisoning, gun violence, asthma, air quality, and workplace safety and health.
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CDC employees have been laid off and reinstated
In early April 2025, about 2,400 CDC employees were laid off in a wave of cuts across federal health agencies. Whole CDC programs were essentially shut down, including some focused on smoking, lead poisoning, gun violence, asthma, air quality, and workplace safety and health. The entire office that handles Freedom of Information Act requests was also closed. Infectious disease programs took a hit, too, including programs that fight outbreaks in other countries, labs focused on HIV and hepatitis in the U.S., and staff trying to eliminate tuberculosis.
The CDC's main channels for communicating urgent health information to the public have also gone silent. Fewer than half of the public health posts sent to HHS for approval have been cleared for publication on social media. Even posts that include basic information about recent disease outbreaks, such as the number of people sickened or hospitalized, have not been posted as requested by employees.
In June 2025, more than 460 laid-off employees received notices that they would be reinstated. An estimated 200 of these workers are based in the CDC's National Center for HIV, Viral Hepatitis, STD, and Tuberculosis Prevention. Around 150 employees at the CDC's National Center for Environmental Health, including people staffing a lab that works on lead poisoning, have also been reinstated. However, members of Fired But Fighting, a group of affected CDC workers, have stated that the reinstatements do not undo the damage done to federal public health by the Kennedy and Trump administrations.
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The CDC failed to meet expectations during COVID-19
The CDC's response to the COVID-19 pandemic attracted criticism from both sides of the political spectrum. In August 2022, CDC Director Rochelle Walensky acknowledged the bipartisan criticism and committed to extensive changes, stating that the CDC's performance "did not reliably meet expectations".
One of the main criticisms was the CDC's lack of effective communication with the public. The CDC's main channels for communicating urgent health information to the public went silent, and posts on social media were heavily reduced. This was due to a bottleneck at the top, with posts needing approval before publication. As a result, important information about disease outbreaks, such as listeria, was not reaching the public.
The CDC also faced criticism for its recommendations and messaging surrounding COVID-19 precautions, vaccines, and treatments. For example, the CDC promoted mask-wearing, even for young children, which some critics claimed damaged trust in public health.
In response to the criticism, the CDC announced plans for reorganization and improved communication, including faster release of scientific findings and easier-to-understand guidance. The CDC also shifted from daily to weekly reporting of COVID-19 cases and deaths, which was expected to increase reporting flexibility and reduce the burden on states.
Overall, while the CDC implemented changes to improve its response to the pandemic, its initial efforts fell short of expectations, particularly in terms of communication and transparency with the public.
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Frequently asked questions
Yes, hospitals are still reporting to the CDC. In 2022, the CDC ended its daily reporting of COVID-19 cases and deaths and shifted to a weekly reporting schedule. Hospitals are also required to report respiratory virus data regularly to the CDC.
The CDC, or the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, is the United States' national public health agency. It is responsible for providing health information, conducting scientific research, and addressing public health crises, such as the COVID-19 pandemic.
The CDC has faced several challenges and criticisms in recent years. During the COVID-19 pandemic, the CDC was criticized for failing to "reliably meet expectations" and provide clear and consistent messaging. Additionally, there have been concerns about communication bottlenecks and a reduction in public health posts on social media. The CDC has also faced budget cuts and layoffs, with thousands of employees losing their jobs, and some programs being shut down.
There have been calls for organizational changes and improvements within the CDC to enhance its performance and ability to respond to public health crises. Hundreds of laid-off CDC employees have been reinstated, and there are efforts to improve vaccine adverse event reporting and rebuild public trust.
The CDC uses the data collected from hospitals to assess national trends, identify threats to intensive care unit capacity, detect early signs of surges, and create dashboards and summary reports for researchers and health departments. This data helps inform local protocols and public health responses.
