White House Takes Over COVID-19 Tracking

Tracking of infections is being shifted from the Centers for Disease Control in a move critics say will further politicize the pandemic response. NBC's Tracie Potts reports.

WASHINGTON (NBC News) — As 22 states set records for new coronavirus cases, tracking of infections is being shifted from the Centers for Disease Control to the White House.

The Trump administration is asking hospitals to bypass the agency and send daily reports directly to a new system set up by the administration.

Critics are concerned that the move will result in data on the COVID-19 pandemic will be politicized or even withheld from the public as a result.

An official with the Department of Health and Human Services says the system will be faster than the reporting currently offered by the CDC, which has a roughly one week lag.

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