California’s top public health official resigns amid questions over coronavirus test data
California’s top public health official resigned Sunday in an abrupt exit just days after the state announced a fix for a glitch that caused a backlog of coronavirus test results.
Dr. Sonia Angell, who directed California’s Department of Public Health for less than a year, did not give a specific reason for her departure in a resignation letter released by the California Health and Human Services Agency.
Angell’s announcement came after Dr. Mark Ghaly, the state’s Health and Human Services secretary, revealed that a glitch caused a reporting lag with as many as 300,000 records.
The results confirm the case numbers that are used to make decisions about reopening businesses and schools in the Golden State.
Democratic Gov. Gavin Newsom thanked Angell “for her service to the state and her work to help steer our public health system during this global pandemic.”
He praised Angell for “never losing sight of the importance of health equity.”
“I am grateful to Dr. Angell for her service to the people of California,” Ghaly said in a statement Sunday. “Her leadership was instrumental as Californians flattened the curve once and in setting us on a path to do so again.”
California’s tally of confirmed COVID-19 cases topped 554,000 on Sunday, state officials said.
More than 10,200 people have died from the disease in the state since the pandemic began, mostly in Los Angeles County.
Sandra Shewry, a vice president at the California Health Care Foundation, will fill the role of acting health director, officials said.
Dr. Erica Pan, who was recently appointed state epidemiologist, will be the acting state public health officer.
With News Wire Services
