SAN ANTONIO — U.S. Congressman Joaquin Castro is calling for a congressional investigation into the Centers for Disease Control after a patient was released ......
Health officials say the patient tested negative for the virus twice before leaving quarantine at JBSA-Lackland on Saturday, which meets CDC guidelines for release. She was out in public for about 12 hours before a third test came back with a weak positive.
According to Congressman Castro, he spoke to Nancy Pelosi Monday morning and "filled her in on whats going on in San Antonio. I told her that the people of San Antonio are very concerned and asked for an investigation into the CDC and its protocols and treatment of coronavirus patients and those that are quarantined."
When asked who was responsible for the "mistake" in releasing the quarantined patient, Castro said, "whether it was the CDC or one of the federal agencies, someone dropped the ball."
Furthermore, Castro explained that San Antonio had "really stepped up" in providing resources for the weeks-long quarantine at Joint Base San Antonio-Lackland, but it was time "for the federal government to find other communities who are also willing to step up at this point."
"As soon as this last cohort of people leave Lackland and go to their hometowns across the country, we were glad to step up and help, but I also think we've done our fair share," Castro said. "We've done our part and we've also strained our resources - our local recourses financially, and in terms of our hospitals and trained medical staff to deal with this."
Castro explained Congress will vote on Wednesday on a multi-billion dollar appropriations bill for the CDC, which he says will be helpful for further coronavirus treatment and prevention.
As for the investigation, Castro says Congress has oversight over federal agencies involved in coronavirus prevention, including the CDC and Health and Human Services.
"I want us to actively make sure, monitor their activity, and what they're doing, and make sure they're following all the safety protocols that they should," Castro said.