In an interview with the Wall Street Journal (WSJ) , Dr. Rochelle Walensky, the director of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), acknowledged that the public health agency did a poor job when it came to messaging on COVID over the past year.
The CDC director also told the WSJ that she should have communicated certain things better to the American public, including making it clearer that new rules and guidelines were subject to change if the nature of the fight against COVID continues to shift.
But the CDC’s lackluster PR efforts could soon change. The WSJ reported that Walensky has hired a media coach to help improve her and the CDC’s messaging on COVID going into 2022.
Walensky said COVID testing could have been better handled, noting there was confusion over the CDC’s guidance on dealing with those who tested positive for COVID, including those with or without symptoms, and how long they should be isolated.
The CDC’s messaging on school closures and reopenings has also been criticized.
Former Food and Drug (FDA) Commissioner Dr. Scott Gottlieb told CNBC that “looking to the CDC for COVID guidance was ‘a mistake.’”
Gottlieb said the guidance from the CDC is slow and that decisions on school reopenings and testings should have been made more by private industry and local governments.
Former Florida state Rep. Dr. Julio Gonzalez said he is not surprised the CDC is trying to reimage itself.
”Not only is their messaging horrible, it’s inconsistent, confusing and all it does is send mixed signals to the public and the physicians trying to take care of patients,” said Gonzalez.
Several polls over the last year show most Americans feel the CDC has not properly communicated a clear plan of action in response to the pandemic.
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