Experts Analyze CDC's Comparison of Pneumonia Outbreaks and Early COVID Cases
Pediatric pneumonia outbreaks in multiple countries have raised concerns among doctors and families, but public health agencies like the CDC and WHO have stated that there is no cause for alarm. The CDC has been monitoring the situation closely and has not seen anything out of the ordinary related to levels of mycoplasma across the country. The agencies attribute the outbreaks to known respiratory diseases rather than novel viruses. Some experts have compared the agencies' reactions to the current pneumonia outbreaks to their initial reactions to the COVID-19 pandemic, noting improvements in transparency and monitoring. However, there are calls for the CDC to apply political pressure on China for more information and to ensure early warning in case of another potential pandemic.