CDC director blames ‘fast-moving science’ after being confronted with memes attacking agency’s credibility

Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) director Rochelle Walensky was confronted Friday with memes mocking the credibility of her agency after a series of confusing messages has baffled Americans amid a record surge in COVID-19 cases, but she chalked backlash up to "fast-moving science."

The CDC has been lampooned by everyone from liberal pundits and late-night comics to average Americans on social media over guidance around the spread of the omicron variant. Earlier this week, the CDC declined to add a clear testing recommendation while saying that people can take a test if they have "access" and "want to." The new guidelines came as millions of Americans wait in hours-long lines to get tested during a record-breaking surge in cases. 

The agency halved its recommended isolation and quarantine time last week, saying that a person infected with COVID-19 can leave isolation after five days if they're asymptomatic, followed by five days of wearing a mask. Medical experts pushed back on that recommendation, saying that it may result in people leaving isolation while they're still infectious. The confusion resulted in an onslaught of memes on social media with people joking that the CDC recommended various things that are both unrealistic and dangerous.