Rochelle WalenskyRochelle WalenskyThe Hill’s Morning Report – Presented by Facebook – House bucks veto threat to approve defense bill as virus relief in limbo Biden aims for 100 million vaccinations in first hundred days Biden unveils health team with Becerra, Murthy, Walensky in top roles MORE, President-elect Joe BidenJoe BidenNewsom taps Shirley Weber to serve as California secretary of state White House wishes Birx well after she announces retirement Karl Rove tears into Michael Flynn, Sidney Powell over election claims MORE’s choice to run the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), said Wednesday that she intends to resume public briefings, which have been all but halted at the agency during the coronavirus pandemic.
“I think communication has to be key here,” she said on CNN’s “New Day.”
“The public needs to know what we know, they need to know the good, and there will be some bad news, I’m certain of it, they need to know that too, so yes, I very much plan to do so.”
ADVERTISEMENT
The move would mark a reversal from the past several months, during which the CDC has held few briefings, leaving much of the public response to the coronavirus pandemic to the White House COVID-19 task force and President TrumpDonald TrumpGeorgia Senate candidate Ossoff backs Trump’s call for K checks White House wishes Birx well after she announces retirement Pelosi responds to Trump: Let’s push for K checks ‘this week’ MORE.
Critics have said the Trump administration’s messaging surrounding the pandemic has been scattershot, with some noting that the White House has left it to the states to cobble together mandates regarding masks, indoor dining and more.
ADVERTISEMENT
Walensky on Wednesday indicated that a Biden administration would try to implement a more “uniform” message across the country.
“We need to have a uniformity of message. We’re already in really frequent communication, which I’m enthusiastic about, to make sure that the science that we are hearing is consistent with what other people are learning and that we’re taking all of the science collaboratively and making policies at a federal level,” she said. “We need promote the science, we need to just make sure the science is being consistent and translatable into guidance that is uniform across the states.”
Walensky will take control of the CDC during what is anticipated to be one of the most dangerous times of the pandemic. The country is already routinely suffering thousands of deaths a day, and public health officials have warned that there will be another spike in cases following Christmas.
While the early stages of vaccine distribution are already underway, Walensky said on CNN that the nation cannot afford to shirk public health guidelines like wearing a mask and social distancing.
“I also want to convey that I believe that that’s just a down payment to what needs to happen in order to get to every corner of the country,” she said, regarding a coronavirus relief package Congress passed this week, “and I also want to make sure Americans understand that more vaccine is a really good thing, but we can’t let off on the measures that we have right now.”