host: 2.5 years into the
pandemic, the CDC director is
calling for a major overhaul of
the agency.
The changes will attempt to
modernize operations and improve
health messaging.
This comes amidst heavy
criticism about the agency's
response to covid-19 and the
response to monkeypox as well.
Dr. Wilensky us now.
Come back to the newshour.
You have come right out and said
that the CDC failed to meet the
moment.
You have said you have to make
the agency more responsive to
emergencies.
Could you be more specific?
>> Thank you for having me.
In its 76 year history the CDC
has never confronted an outbreak
the size and scope of what we
had to confront for covid-19 and
what was clear that we did not
reliably meet the expectations
in the moment.
What I am calling for is to have
it -- pivot to a new culture
where we are emphasizing
accountability, collaboration,
and communication and timeliness
of the information we are
putting forward.
Host: Changing culture is an
enormous task
.
Ac/dc vet talked about this
culture -- a CDC vet talked
about this culture.
Is there some truth to what he
said and does that mean you have
to change your team?
>> I have an exceptional agency
full of exceptional subject
experts some of whom are geeks
and I embrace that.
They are doing the hard science
we need to do.
Some of the structures and
systems and policies we have in
place have not allowed us to
navigate in a nimble fashion.
For example, we have
infrastructure that promotes
people for public health
publications.
Some of those publications take
a long time but if our promotion
process relies on publications
and we are incentivizing based
action.
Some of the structures -- some
of those structures are the ones
we are working on.
Host: Do you need more funding
as well?
Is there political appetite to
offer more funding to an agency
that did not effectively respond
to the pandemic?
>> This is not something where
we are asking for money in this
moment.
What I will say is that one of
the things we are asking for is
long-term sustainable resources
that are nimble.
If we have many different line
items that are disease specific,
it is hard to be number for
those in a moment when we have a
new outbreak.
A lot of what this reads that is
going to do is to elevate those
key public health components
like our workforce and our data
modernization efforts and
testing and laboratory capacity
so those are overarching import
at the CDC and in public health
across the country.
It is the case that we don't
know the public health challenge
of tomorrow but if we have a
nimble infrastructure is
sustainably funded and is
disease agnostic and that
focuses on our workforce and lab
and core capabilities, then we
will have the opportunity to
pivot and be in good shape.
Host: There is concerns about
the response to the monkeypox
outbreak and they are worryingly
similar to the concerns
surrounding the covid-19
response.
People did not know where they
could get a test or get clear
answers on treatment.
Ogle health officials say the
CDC guidance on vaccines is
confusing and it is setting them
back in their response.
Why didn't the lessons from the
early covert response work their
way into the monkeypox response
now?
>> There is some similarities
and some dissimilarities that we
can take.
Some of the things were
dissimilar is that we had a test
for monkeypox.
As soon as we had a case we put
online the paper that
demonstrated but the test was
and how one could design the
test.
And that is because we have had
decades of ongoing work in the
monkeypox area.
It was not a new pathogen but it
was new to this country.
It was new to every clinician
around this country.
And it was new to the community
who had likely never heard of
monkeypox.
We had a huge amount of
education to do.
There were challenges because
people had been understanding
how we operate in covid.
How do I get a test if I am
asymptomatic?
That is not possible in
monkeypox.
You need a rash to do a test for
monkeypox.
This was the education and
outbreak that we were doing.
We scaled up testing.
We have not had more of a desire
for testing then we have had
tests available.
But we have had access
challenges get into the tests.
The other challenge we have had
that is true for covid and is
true for monkeypox is our visit
bought -- is the visibility of
our data.
CDC cannot compel the data to
come in.
We rely on the volunteer
reporting of data.
That has been a real challenge
and it was a challenge in covid
and it has again been a
challenge for monkeypox.
Host: To educate the public and
get the word out on monkeypox is
one thing, the response is
another.
The first U.S. Case was recorded
in mid-may and the cases are at
over 16,500.
Was there something that
should've been done to keep the
numbers from getting where they
are?
>> I think we have done an
extraordinary job in educating
and working with our partners in
getting the vaccine out.
This was not a vaccine intended
for widespread use for this
pathogen.
This last week we put out data
before prepublication, before it
had been published putting data
out faster and working with our
public health partners.
We are learning some of the
lessons we learned in covid-19
and we will continue to do that
outreach and I continue to say
that in areas where we can
continue to improve please tell
us.
Host: All of this especially
after the last two and a half
years of the pandemic means
billion's of people do not trust
the CDC.
Some polls show 40% of Americans
and you see that in behavior.
Though vaccine rates among
children in particular.
How do you fix that?
>> I came into the agency about
halfway through the pandemic and
this is something that I
inherited.
There has been politicizing of
the CDC among the challenges
that I inherited.
What I will say is that one of
the things we have to work on is
work on our communications.
This is one of the areas that
came through in our review.
One area related to that is
prior to the pandemic the CDC
was talking to scientific
experts and public health
experts.
It has become clear through the
pandemic that we are talking to
the American public.
We need to distill the science
we are learning and make sure it
is accessible to the American
public.
The other thing that has been
challenging is the science has
changed.
That which was true for the
original variant was not true
for the delta variant and
omicron variant.
We have had to shift and update
our guidance in the context of
not just evolving science but
also with the evolving variant.
Host: Looking ahead to the
upcoming winter, we know there
will be a fall booster campaign.
How should people decide if they
should even get that shot
especially when so many people
have been infected and have some
level of immunity?
>> I don't want to get ahead of
any fda action but what I will
say is right now we have people
who are not yet fully up-to-date
on their vaccines they have not
received a booster.
We know we continue to see
350-400 new deaths every day and
as we look into those they are
unvaccinated folks or under
vaccinated folks.
The most important thing you can
do is stay up-to-date on your
covid-19 vaccines and keep your
children up-to-date on their
vaccines.
So much of what we know with the
infection is that so many of
these severe outcomes are
preventable.
Host: Thank you for your time.