Loren Walensky recalls coming home one day to find her sitting at the kitchen table working on extremely complex math. She also serves as a co-director, medical practice evaluation center and also as director, program in epidemiology and outcomes research in infectious diseases. Over time we will be able to maybe one day not be in our masks anymore, but I have told my family I anticipate theyll be wearing a mask for the better part of 21, Dr. Rochelle Walensky, chief of the Division of Infectious Diseases at Massachusetts General Hospital, said in a video produced by her hospital last month. Shes not a crier if anything, I get choked up much more easily than she does, he said. White House officials also took steps to try to control the CDCs scientific reports and the guidance on its website. Health care workers in the US started receiving Pfizers coronavirus vaccine this week, and its expected they could get Modernas vaccine starting next week. The day of her urgent plea, she appeared on MSNBCs The Rachel Maddow Show, where she said vaccinated people do not carry the virus an overly optimistic statement that the C.D.C. She saw many people . I have to fix that.". Both vaccines are most effective two weeks after the second dose, with each exceeding 90 percent effectiveness against severe disease, hospitalization, and death in real-world studies. appreciated. But the agency stumbled in February when a test for the virus sent to states proved to be flawed. We also - you know, we'll consider doing testing before we all gather. They have been credited with being the brain behind her success as they gave her everything she needed to develop into the very smart and successful woman she now is. Biden unveils health team that will lead pandemic response. I guarantee it.. Misinformation robs us of our freedom to make decisions for our health based on science and facts.Addressing health misinformation is an urgent challenge, a moral and civic responsibility that we must meet together. "But we sort of face every day with the hope and the vision that what we will be faced with, we can tackle.". When you talk about a third shot for a two-shot vaccine regimen or another shot for the J&J single-dose regimen, youre talking about enhancing the durability of an already highly effective vaccine. Tenants . Some of its advice had been twisted by the Trump administration, and her message was clear: The C.D.C. So, if Walensky had a Wonder Woman superpower, it was using data to inform decisions and save lives. The recommendation startled not just the White House but also state and local leaders, prompting criticism that she had failed to prepare Americans for the agencys latest about-face during the pandemic. And then finally and really important is that - and my family knows this. Her father, Edward Bersoff, was a mathematician and engineer at NASA; her mother, Carol Bersoff-Bernstein, was an executive at a. And so we are hopeful that those trends will continue. The truth is that, across our nation, the voices of doctors, nurses, scientists, and public health experts are too often being drowned out by the false sirens of misinformation. We have to educate our own work force and answer their questions., He said Walensky struck the right note in her hospitals video when she said that even with the vaccine, we should manage our expectations in terms of taking off our masks.. Every shot is progress. " she recalls. Similar. I have heard from my colleagues in the hospital that some of the nurses and health care workers are unwilling to be vaccinated because they have heard that its going to affect their fertility and there are some other myths that are floating around, Carol Hayes, a nurse midwife whos a liaison representative to ACIP, said at the meeting. The test kit problem was tied to laboratory contamination at the agencys Atlanta headquarters a sign of sloppiness. And those happening now are even more tragic because they are preventable. At that meeting, committee members discussed a survey of nearly 13,000 nurses, which showed that only 34% planned to voluntarily get the vaccine if their employers dont require them to get it. Beyond unmuzzling her agency's staff, she vows to tackle many other challenges, pushing particularly hard on the vaccine rollout and rebuilding the public health system. COVID-19 Vaccines Don't Prevent Transmission of Virus. On her first day as director of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention in January, Dr. Rochelle Walensky ordered a review of all Covid-related guidance on the agencys website. https://t.co/VtMNdLN06p, Jen Kates (@jenkatesdc) December 7, 2020. She joined MGH in 2000 as a graduate assistant at the medical walk-in unit. floundered at the beginning of the pandemic, pilloried for its botched coronavirus test and antiquated data systems. But, importantly, over 97 percent of people who are entering the hospital right now are unvaccinated. And its great to be with all of you again today. In the next slide, we see the UK. We have so much to look forward to, so much promise and potential of where we are and so much reason for hope. She gained a reputation as a rigorous researcher and a generous mentor, particularly to young women. Even apart from the fact that she is only the third woman to lead the agency, Im a different kind of C.D.C. The podcasts host, Dr. Howard Bauchner, who is also editor of the journal, praised her effusively. and the country out of the pandemic. Follow Boston.com on Instagram (Opens in a New Tab), Follow Boston.com on Twitter (Opens in a New Tab), Like Boston.com on Facebook (Opens in a New Tab), Biden picks Mass. In November she co-authored a paper published in Health Affairs in November 2020 that showed the factors that can affect the efficacy of a COVID-19 vaccine. And if needed, well ensure Americans who might need a booster shot are able to get one quickly and easily. Some surveys and focus groups have shown that many health care workers are hesitant to get the vaccines. Were asking them to operate with greater transparency, to modify their algorithms to avoid amplifying misinformation, and to swiftly and consistently take action against misinformation super-spreaders on their platforms.Shortly after releasing the advisory, we saw organizations like the Rockefeller Foundation, the Digital Public Library of America, and the American Academy of Pediatrics step up and respond to this call to action by committing their time, resources, and networks to confronting health misinformation. And where Dr. Redfield was reticent, Dr. Walensky has often taken a surprisingly direct approach. And now he could be called the "first gentleman" of the CDC. Rochelle is a professor of Medicine at Harvard Medical School. She is the daughter of Carol Bersoff-Bernstein and Edward H. Bersoff. And then well open it up for a few questions.Now, over to you, Dr. Walensky.DR. and made similar arguments about the pricing of Gileads Covid drug remdesivir. Rochelle Paula Walensky ( ne Bersoff; born April 5, 1969) is an American physician-scientist who is the director of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention and the administrator of the Agency for Toxic Substances and Disease Registry. Dr. Rochelle Walensky, the C.D.C. Next slide. Even when it's bad news. And across this country people are suffering. CHANG: I mean, why isn't the CDC more strongly recommending masking in public places right now, during this so-called tripledemic? President Biden had promised that the C.D.C. Rochelle is the daughter of Carol and Edward H. Bersoff, a chief executive. DR. WALENSKY: Yeah, absolutely. And in November, she offered a sobering reality check from the front lines about current COVID-19 medical treatments: "When I think about the armamentarium of true drugs that we have that benefit people with this disease, it's pretty sparse," she said. And thats the thing thats being actively studied right now. The COVID-19 pandemic has resulted in the death of over 500,000 Americans. In January, shown in the middle of the slide, we were averaging nearly 200,000 cases per day. February 27, 2023 Michael S. Regan Administrator Environmental Protection Agency 1200 Pennsylvania Avenue, NW Washington, DC 20460 Dr. Rochelle Walensky The two announcements captured the challenge that will define Dr. Walenskys tenure at the C.D.C. Walensky took part in the video a few weeks before President-elect Joe Biden appointed her on December 7 to be his CDC chief when he takes office, and shes made few public comments since then, and declined to comment for this story. So, while we are in a far better position than we were in January through April, this increased in red area is giving us all a reason to double-down and get more people vaccinated.The good news is that if you are fully vaccinated, you are protected against severe COVID, hospitalization, and death, and are even protected against the known variants including the Delta variant circulating in the country.If you are not vaccinated, you remain at risk. CHANG: CDC director Dr. Rochelle Walensky, thank you very much for joining us again. Instead, she's confounding experts and the public alike. In interviews, several said the morale had drastically improved. My heart and respect and gratitude to all of our health care workers who are working hard through this season, not just for respiratory viruses in children but through - across the board. "A vaccine may feel unnecessary. "I got called during a code," she says. She is married to Loren D. Walensky and they have 3 children. There are two things happening at the same time, she said. Despite a grueling workload of patient care and research, Dr. Walensky made it to her sons piano concerts, karate tournaments and half marathons, according to her husband. Last summer, after protests over the death of George Floyd, more than 1,200 C.D.C. But if you are beyond that window, I want to reiterate: There is no bad time to get your second shot.Do it for yourself, your family, and for your community. Anyone can read what you share. Walensky announced today that she has decided to nationalize America's rental properties, millions and millions of them from Maine to California. Walensky's family has a tradition of service, including a grandfather who served in World War II and rose to be a brigadier general. "I have a 16-year-old myself and I can tell you he wanted to get the vaccine. Next slide shows data from the UK with the Delta variant, which the Pfizer-BioNTech, which clearly reflects what well be seeing with Moderna, is 96 percent effective against hospitalization. While the agency has retained some of its top scientific talent, public health experts say, it has a long list of needs, including new protection from political influence, a comprehensive review of its missteps during the pandemic and more money to beef up basic functions like disease tracking and genetic analysis. The blue and yellow counties have low or moderate transmission. MORE: 5 things to know about COVID protections as Americans head back to work Stay home when you're sick. Massachusetts General Hospital in April 2020. But Dr. Fauci said that he believed some small missteps were inevitable, and that Dr. Walensky was a quick study. staff members. Its advice on masking, asymptomatic spread of the virus and the threat indoors was muddled. She will succeed Dr. Robert Redfield, 69, who came to the CDC with a similar resume as an outsider from academia. Like, will you be personally masking up at the supermarket or just avoiding large gatherings in general? But she has emerged as a prominent voice on the pandemic, sometimes criticizing certain aspects of the state and national response. The pandemic also exposed some CDC failures and weaknesses unrelated to politics. Rochelle Walensky, MD, MPH, Director of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), has now suffered a Paxlovid rebound of Covid-19 like Anthony Fauci, MD, and U.S. President Joe Biden . Statement from Rochelle P. Walensky, MD, MPH, Director, Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Redfield kept a low profile during his first two years in office after being appointed by the Trump administration in 2018. Much of that has to do with cycles of funding for the national public health system that rise in reaction to a crisis and then fall, hurting efforts to prevent the next crisis. Whats different now is the speed and scale at which health misinformation is spreading. "And when you get called during a code, your job is to be there to help." If you look at this map of the world, theyre at about 100 countries that have now have the Delta variant that is detected in them in June of since June in 2020. NPR's Ari Shapiro speaks with Centers for Disease Control and Prevention Director Rochelle Walensky about new guidelines that have the isolation period for asymptomatic people who have COVID.. For Immediate Release: Friday, June 4, 2021. And so why its so important for yourself, your family, and your community to get vaccinated. Dr. Anne Schuchat, the deputy director, and Dr. Nancy Messonnier, who led the agencys infectious disease center have led to speculation about continuing unrest within the agency. Mistrust of the coronavirus vaccine was a major topic of discussion at an ACIP meeting last week. Dr. William Schaffner, a longtime adviser to the CDC on vaccines, said Walensky, a practicing infectious disease specialist, is well positioned to encourage health care professionals to take the shot. Independent and rigorous scientific CDC and FDA processes will determine if and when boosters are needed and who might need a booster shot.I want to be clear: The science will guide this. And within communities, these cases are occurring primarily among unvaccinated individuals. And this week, at the request of the Nevada governor, we are deploying more than a hundred people to the state to help enhance vaccine access and support vaccine outreach efforts.And were providing CDCs technical expertise including on genetic sequencing, data analysis, and outbreak response to Missouri to help support the state in its response.We stand ready to support our state partners with the help they need to curb the spread of the virus and increase vaccinations in their states.And finally, we continue to be prepared for any and every scenario, including the possibility of booster shots, if and when the science shows they are needed.At this time, the CDC and FDA have said Americans who have been fully vaccinated do not need a booster shot. : restoring an agency once renowned as the world leader in public health but whose reputation has been battered by political interference, even as the country transitions out of a pandemic that has left nearly 600,000 Americans dead. How to be Extra Cautious with Your Skin during Seasonal Transitions? And please do it to protect your young children who, right now, cant get vaccinated themselves. Theres a lot that we are doing and well continue to do more, but this is a moment where we need technology companies to step up and do more to stop the spread of misinformation. MODERATOR: Thanks, Jeff. But if we just let the virus run free without mitigation strategies, such as masking, our hospitals will overflow and that would mean we would no longer be able to take care of the populations health across the board. She has a long history working on HIV and has, in the past year, become a tour de force in addressing COVID. We recommend wash your hands. Simply put, health misinformation has cost us lives. The Walenskys decided early on that they would not work evenings or weekends, would be home for dinner every day, and take laptop-free vacations whenever their children were off school. How to Equip Yourself Before an MRI Scan? On the left, you can see where we were just a short month ago, and compare it to where we are now, on the right. Dr. Kenneth Freedberg was standing at his wife's bedside in a Boston hospital's intensive care unit when an . Lets take a few questions. Walensky kept publishing research on key pandemic topics, such as college testing and antibody treatments. But Barks and others who know Walensky well say she's clear-eyed and ready to dig in to meet the challenge; she'll try a new approach if first attempts fall short. We are saying we don't really want people to gather if they're feeling unwell. She was brought up in Potomac, Maryland. COVID cases have been on the rise after Thanksgiving. I want to make sure every family knows this. Your effort and contribution in providing this feedback is much Some experts suggest that an administration that values science and increases funding could restore the CDC to preeminence. These days, she spends the week in Atlanta, waking up at 5:30 a.m. and working until 11 p.m. The C.D.C.s New Leader Follows the Science. Dr. Rochelle Walensky, who has been selected to serve as director of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention speaks during an event at The Queen theater in Wilmington, Del., Tuesday, Dec. 8 . ZIENTS: Oh, go ahead, Dr. Walensky. And that is to get your COVID-19 vaccine, get your influenza vaccine and to do so now because you'll be - if you get it now, you'll be protected by the holidays. Dr. Walensky joined the faculty of Harvard University in 2001, where she worked on health policy for infectious diseases, particularly H.I.V. Born Rochelle Bersoff, Dr. Walensky grew up in Potomac, Md. The respiratory virus RSV has been surging for weeks, sending kids to emergency rooms. Yesterday I issued a Surgeon Generals Advisory on the dangers of health misinformation. They'd all been helping each other through the brutal pandemic year, she says, but feeling like they got little to no help from the federal government. "And I think our entire division would lie down in traffic for her.". Dr. Walenskys appointment instantly made her one of the most influential women in the nation, and was greeted with enthusiasm by public health experts and C.D.C. She was starting to broaden her focus from patient care to bigger-picture questions about the increased equity in health care that more funding and optimal treatment choices could bring. Published Eventually, she became his boss. FAUCI: Yes, well, as Dr. Rochelle Walensky has said multiple times, the CDC is looking at a number of different cohorts that will get the information that will be needed as she said if and . Visit our website terms of use and permissions pages at www.npr.org for further information. Jim Lo Scalzo/Pool via REUTERS/File Photo (Pool/Reuters) The director of . In the last week, 10 percent of counties have moved into high transmission risk, in the red, and 7 percent of counties have moved into substantial risk, in the orange. And that has had a detrimental effect on the agencys ability to fulfill its mission, said Dr. Richard Besser, a former CDC official who now heads the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation. And we have certainly always said that masking is a personal choice. So, wondering if you all can paint a picture of who is actually being hospitalized by the Delta variant. Because when we did not have the large group of elderly people vaccinated, then the elderly people dominated the people who were hospitalized and got into trouble.Since we have more of a veil of protection among people because about 85 percent of people who are elderly, greater than 65 are vaccinated when you look at the relative number of people who get hospitalized, clearly, were seeing younger people, from a relative standpoint, more hospitalized than we were seeing before because of the shift of the veil of protection, which is much more dominant among the elderly.DR. Several topics were raised during the hearing, including the pause on the Johnson and Johnson vaccine, the timeline for reopening schools, and COVID-19 testing for . What are you and your family doing? So, if you are unvaccinated, please get vaccinated now. Did you encounter any technical issues? On May 12, 2021, CDC recommended use of the Pfizer COVID-19 vaccine in people aged 12 years and up based on the safety and efficacy of the vaccine in adolescents following clinical trials. Copyright 2021 Pinoria, All rights Reserved. MODERATOR: Go to Erin Billups at Spectrum News. She acknowledged the weaknesses in her resume. It allowed people who intentionally spread misinformation what we call disinformation to have extraordinary reach.In this advisory, were telling technology companies that we expect more. But six months later, he still suffers from tachycardia, shortness of breath, and ongoing and frequent flu-like symptoms. First, lets go to Carl ODonnell at Reuters. DR. FAUCI: Well, what we do know in the cases that were looked at: If you are vaccinated and you get infected, and you compare that person if youre an asymptomatic infected breakthrough vaccinated case and compare that to someone who is infected but not vaccinated and asymptomatic, the level of virus in the nasal pharynx of the vaccinated person is considerably less than the virus in the nasal pharynx of a person who is infected, unvaccinated, and asymptomatic. Dr. Rochelle Walensky had just been tapped to lead the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. And the common thread that ran through our conversations was their struggle to help their communities navigate information about COVID-19. CNN Sans & 2016 Cable News Network. You know, as we have said, this is very heterogeneous across the country and these decisions have to be made at the local level. Ive got two questions: one on breakthrough cases and then a second one on some news that just broke.One, for these breakthrough cases, are they contributing to the spread of coronavirus? Today, Dr. Walensky will provide an update on the state of the pandemic and the Delta variant. Washington CNN Since the early days of her time as Director for the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, Dr. Rochelle Walensky has made comments and claims over Covid-19 guidance. Unfortunately, he is one of the many Americans battling long-term symptoms," Slavitt said. Dr. Walensky was not on the Bidens administrations initial list of candidates for C.D.C. Dr. Walensky also has her eye trained on racial equity in health care within the ranks of C.D.C.
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