Walensky shares plan to reorganize CDC following COVID criticism

Rochelle Walensky.
(Image credit: GREG NASH/POOL/AFP via Getty Images)

The U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention will in the coming months undergo a significant reorganization in response to criticism of its delayed pandemic response, Director Rochelle Walensky announced Wednesday.

"For 75 years, CDC and public health have been preparing for COVID-19, and in our big moment, our performance did not reliably meet expectations," Walensky said in a statement. "My goal is a new, public health action-oriented culture at CDC that emphasizes accountability, collaboration, communication, and timeliness." The director had initially requested an external review of the CDC back in April, following a few chaotic months at the hands of the highly-infectious Omicron variant, as well as the agency's at-times confusing messaging regarding mitigation measures, writes The New York Times.

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Brigid Kennedy

Brigid Kennedy worked at The Week from 2021 to 2023 as a staff writer, junior editor and then story editor, with an interest in U.S. politics, the economy and the music industry.