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The director of the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention on Wednesday announced a “reset” focused on helping organizations respond quickly to new health threats amid criticism of their handling of the COVID-19 pandemic. Did.
CDC Director Dr. Rochelle Walensky spoke to agency staff about the changes, including changes to internal staffing and procedures to speed up data release.
“For 75 years, the CDC and Public Health have prepared for COVID-19, but at our crucial time, our performance has certainly fallen short of expectations,” she was obtained by The Washington Post. “My goal is a new public health action-oriented culture at CDC that emphasizes accountability, collaboration, communication and timeliness,” he said in a statement.
Wallenski said the change was the initiative of the CDC and not directed by the White House or other senior government officials.
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Among the changes announced Wednesday were a reorganization of the agency’s communications office and a revamped website to make public health guidance easier to find and preprint science to get actionable data faster. An increase in the use of reports was included.
Other changes included the creation of a new executive council to help Wallenski set strategy and priorities, and also reversed several changes made during the Trump administration.
“I feel it’s my responsibility to lead this agency to a better place after three really difficult years,” Wallenski told the Associated Press.
The change comes amid continued criticism of the agency’s response to COVID-19, monkeypox, and other public health threats.
Experts say the CDC is aware of the amount of virus that has entered the United States from Europe, recommends people wear masks, says the virus can spread through the air, and systematically kills new variants. It took a long time to strengthen the tests.
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CDC has a budget of $12 billion and over 11,000 employees. Wallenski has been appointed director of the agency in January 2021.
The Associated Press contributed to this report.