CDC Director Rochelle Walensky, MD, said she has not been sufficiently clear with Americans when communicating the agency's COVID-19 guidance in an interview published Jan. 17 in The Wall Street Journal.
Dr. Walensky told the Journal she should have made it clearer that CDC guidelines were subject to change as the pandemic evolves.
"I think what I have not conveyed is the uncertainty in a lot of these situations," she said.
Dr. Walensky said she is being trained by a media consultant and plans to hold more news briefings separate from the news conferences held by the White House's COVID-19 response team, as separate briefings would help demonstrate the CDC's role as an apolitical agency.
Dr. Walensky also said she plans to address gaps in national public health data collection, which have hindered the country's pandemic response. She said the White House supports expanding the CDC's data collection efforts.