CDC Announces Organizational Changes After Not Meeting 'Expectations' During Pandemic
Summary from the AllSides News Team
CDC Director Rochelle Walensky on Wednesday outlined plans to reorganize the agency following a review of its handling of the COVID-19 pandemic.
Walensky acknowledged the bipartisan criticism the CDC faced over its COVID-19 response and said that the agency's "performance did not reliably meet expectations." Some proposed provisions included efforts to better communicate with the public, speed up data releases and expand the internal team that responds to public health emergencies. Walensky noted that these changes could foster a more "action-oriented culture" that "emphasizes accountability, collaboration, communication, and timeliness."
The announcement comes a week after the CDC loosened recommendations for quarantine procedures and social distancing. While COVID-19 infections have gradually winded down since last winter, some experts have shifted their concerns toward the uncertainty surrounding long COVID and the national response to the monkeypox outbreak.
Coverage was mostly balanced across the spectrum. Some reports accentuated criticisms that claimed the CDC has been "too academic" and "rigid," which has discouraged the public from "trusting updated advice." Others highlighted the agency's "lack of nimbleness" and failure to acknowledge that people "continue to die" from the virus daily.
Featured Coverage of this Story
From the Left
CDC, under fire, lays out plan to become more nimble and accountable
The nation’s top public health official acknowledged Wednesday that the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention had failed to respond effectively to the coronavirus pandemic, and committed to extensive changes, including faster release of scientific findings and easier-to-understand guidance.
CDC Director Rochelle Walensky told senior leaders that she had embraced a long-awaited revamp of CDC culture based on an internal review that called for a more nimble and better-trained workforce and changing incentives to reward action over publication, among other things.
“For 75 years, CDC and public health have been...
From the Right
CDC Director Announces Changes After Agency’s Performance During Pandemic ‘Did Not Reliably Meet Expectations’
The director of the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) on Aug. 17 announced that the agency would be revamped, after a review found it did not adequately respond to the COVID-19 pandemic.
Dr. Rochelle Walensky, the director, informed the approximately 13,000 CDC employees of the planned changes, which include reorganizing the agency in an attempt to make quicker decisions, be more accountable, and improve communication.
The changes are spurred by a review that started in April, which found the agency’s “traditional scientific and communication processes were not adequate to effectively respond to...
From the Center
CDC Director Walensky Announces Major Agency Changes After Covid Missteps
Rochelle Walensky, the director of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, announced Wednesday she will make major modifications to the agency’s structure, including staffing changes and efforts to improve public messaging, after she said the agency failed to adequately respond to the Covid-19 pandemic, according to multiple outlets.
In a video sent to staff Wednesday morning, Walensky admitted the agency had made “pretty dramatic, pretty public mistakes” related to testing, data and communications in response to the coronavirus pandemic, according to Bloomberg, which cited an anonymous source who viewed the video.
The...
AllSides Picks
April 23rd, 2024
April 23rd, 2024
April 22nd, 2024
More News about Coronavirus from the Left, Center and Right
From the Left
From the Center
From the Right
