The CDC has official responded to some of the widespread public criticism that the agency received in response to its handling of the COVID-19 pandemic.
Agency Director Rochelle Walensky released a statement this week that admitted “guidance documents are confusing and overwhelming; the website is not easy to navigate,” and said the agency would try to provide “plain language” guidance in the future.
The statement also noted “takes too long for CDC to publish its data and science for decision making.”
“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. “As a long-time admirer of this agency and a champion for public health, I want us all to do better, and it starts with CDC leading the way.”
The statement also stated that the CDC should “share scientific findings and data faster,” and “be transparent about the agency’s current level of understanding.”
Americans are increasingly losing confidence in the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Biden administration medical advisor Dr. Anthony Fauci, according to polling data released earlier this year.
According to a Gallup poll from May, one third of Americans believed that the COVID-19 pandemic is “over,” to which 66 percent disagreed.
However, along party lines, about 60 percent of registered Republican respondents believe the pandemic is over, compared to 10 percent of Democrats who disagreed with the statement. Among independent voters, 39 percent said that they believe the COVID-19 pandemic has ran its course.
A separate poll by the University of Pennsylvania’s Annenberg Public Policy Center in late January found that Americans are losing trust in the CDC.
The data showed that Fauci’s approval had also dropped to 65 percent — down from 71 percent in April 2021, in what the poll stated was a “statistically meaningful drop.”
