CDC admits missteps in COVID response, will restructure agency

The CDC is undergoing a revamp after the director said there were missteps in their handling of the coronavirus. Sweeping changes are said to include internal staffing moves, a redesign of the website, restructuring of communications, and the addition of a new executive council to help CDC Director Rochelle Walensky set strategies and priorities when a health pandemic occurs.

Changes will be directed at speeding up the releasing of data. The CDC faced pushback at the beginning of the pandemic over the initial tracking of the virus as it entered the U.S. and the slow release of contact tracing information.

“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,” Dr. Walensky said. “As a long-time admirer of this agency and a champion for public health, I want us all to do better.”

Two recent reviews of the agency were conducted by Health Resources and Services Administration and another by CDC Chief of Staff Sherri Berger. The reviews investigated agency operations. The reviews concluded that the “traditional scientific and communication processes were not adequate to effectively respond to a crisis the size and scope of the COVID-19 pandemic,” according to an agency statement.

The CDC has released guidance on all aspects of COVID. Masks, vaccines, social distancing, testing, and contact tracing rules around the country stem from the CDC. The announcement to restructure comes on the heels of the CDC revising and loosening restrictions last week.

The announcement of internal changes at the CDC is a CDC initiative and not directed by the White House or other administration officials according to Dr. Walensky. In March 2020, 79 percent of Americans said public health officials, including the CDC, were doing a good job responding to the pandemic, according to Pew Research Center. By May 2022, only 52 percent of Americans thought health officials were doing a good job responding to the pandemic, a 27 percent drop over the course of the pandemic.