It is with alarm and dismay that I have noted that the White House has ordered all hospitals to send information on COVID-19 cases to the national Department of Health and Human Services rather than to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. This action is a grave travesty of science. I am concerned that the data will be altered for political /economic purposes.

Without CDC leadership, the United States may face a far more protracted and lethal battle with this pandemic than if we were to acknowledge and adhere to medical expertise.

This pandemic is deadly. For the common good, the public needs facts and leadership from the scientific community. We must not play politics with COVID-19.

Barbara Ryland
South Portland