美疾控中心承認了
5月1日，美國疾控中心官網發佈首席副主任安妮·舒查特（Anne Schuchat）撰寫的報告。
美聯社在5月2日的一篇報道中稱，美國錯失延緩新冠病毒傳播的機會。當時，美國在瞭解歐洲輸入型病例狀況時，動作很慢，造成了全美疫情的加速暴發。
The US government was slow to understand how much coronavirus was spreading from Europe, which helped drive the acceleration of outbreaks across the nation, a top health official said Friday.
美聯社援引舒查特的話稱，2月下旬，美國的檢測能力有限，並且遲遲未宣佈對歐洲等國家的旅行禁令，這些原因都導致了美國病例的激增。“我們顯然沒有意識到當時的全部輸入型病例。”
Limited testing and delayed travel alerts for areas outside China contributed to the jump in US cases starting in late February, said Dr. Anne Schuchat, the No. 2 official at the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.
"We clearly didn't recognize the full importations that were happening" Schuchat told The Associated Press.
美聯社報道截圖
她指出，僅2月份就有200萬旅客從意大利或其他歐洲國家抵達美國，而美國政府直到3月11日才推出針對歐洲的旅行禁令。
But in her article, Schuchat noted that nearly 2 million travelers arrived in the US from Italy and other European countries during February. The US government didn't block travel from there until March 11.
美國疾控中心官網發佈首席副主任安妮·舒查特 圖源：美聯社
舒查特認為，“一旦歐洲暴發，從歐洲而來的廣泛旅客確實會加速美國的疫情蔓延。我們的旅行警告時間應該更早些。”
"The extensive travel from Europe, once Europe was having outbreaks, really accelerated our importations and the rapid spread," she told the AP. "I think the timing of our travel alerts should have been earlier."
舒查特提到，從2月至3月初，有9艘尼羅河郵輪上的100多人在美國的檢測結果呈陽性，這一數字幾乎比美國國內當時的已知病例數翻了一番。“現在回想起來，更早採取行動可能會推遲（美國疫情的）進一步暴發，或者延緩暴發速度。”
She also noted in the article that more than 100 people who had been on nine separate Nile River cruises during February and early March had come to the US and tested positive for the virus, nearly doubling the number of known US cases at that time.
她表示，“回想起來，早點採取行動可能會延緩（美國疫情暴發的）進一步擴大，或者延遲其暴發速度。”
Schuchat said: "I think in retrospect, taking action earlier could have delayed further amplification (of the US outbreak), or delayed the speed of it."
報告還指出，美國國內的人口流動也有力地助推了早期的傳播。2月時，美國的本土確診病例數量很少，而且似乎已得到控制，因此，聯邦和地方政府未建議限制集會。
Various gatherings of persons from different locations, followed by return to their home communities, played a notable role in the early US spread of COVID-19. During February 2020, the number of confirmed cases originating in the United States was low and appeared contained; thus, federal and local jurisdictions did not recommend restrictions on gatherings.
2月的最後一週，幾場大型活動的舉行導致疫情進一步傳播，包括在路易斯安那州舉行的狂歡節慶祝活動，超過100萬人參加；在馬薩諸塞州波士頓舉行的一場國際專業會議，大約有175人出席；以及在佐治亞州奧爾巴尼舉行的一場葬禮，有100多人蔘加。
報告表示，在美國疫情的開始和加速階段，未識別的傳播起着關鍵作用。由於與每年的流感季重疊等各種原因，這段時間病例未得到發現。
Unrecognized transmission played a key role in the initiation and acceleration phases of the US outbreak. Cases were not detected during this time for various reasons. First, introduction of the virus into the United States occurred during the annual influenza season.
美聯社在文章中表示，疾控中心發佈的報告顯示，美國最高公共衞生機構錯失了延緩病毒傳播的機會。
It suggests the nation's top public health agency missed opportunities to slow the spread.
文章稱，疾控中心負責識別、跟蹤、預防類似疾病。但是在疫情暴發期間，該機構一直保持低調，而白宮官員掌控着溝通，並主持了大多數新聞發佈會。
The CDC is responsible for the recognition, tracking and prevention of just such a disease. But the agency has had a low profile during this pandemic, with White House officials controlling communications and leading most press briefings.
耶魯大學公共衞生學院衞生政策助理教授傑森·施瓦茲（Jason Schwartz）表示：“疾病中心（CDC）的公開參與程度被如此大大削弱，這是聯邦政府應對措施中最驚人也是最令人困惑的方面之一。”
"The degree to which CDC's public presence has been so diminished ... is one of the most striking and frankly puzzling aspects of the federal government's response," said Jason Schwartz, assistant professor of health policy at the Yale School of Public Health.