CDC chief admits agency failed on virus response

The head of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention announced on Wednesday that the nation's top public health agency will undergo major changes, saying that its COVID-19 response fell short and it must respond better and faster to public health emergencies.

"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," CDC Director Rochelle Walensky admitted in a statement on Wednesday. "My goal is a new, public health, action-oriented culture at CDC that emphasizes accountability, collaboration, communication and timeliness. I want us all to do better and it starts with CDC leading the way."

Walensky, who was appointed to the CDC's top post last year, outlined the changes in broad terms in an email to CDC employees on Wednesday. These include internal staffing moves, an overhaul of how the agency analyzes and shares data, as well as changes to how the CDC quickly communicates information to the public.