Rochelle Walensky

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CDC Director to Step Down
CDC's Walensky to Step Down
May 5, 2023 5:25 PM CDT

CDC's Walensky to Step Down

Experts say change in directors could set back attempts to improve agency

(Newser) - Dr. Rochelle Walensky, a leader in the federal government's battle against COVID-19, is leaving her job as director of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. That battle has reached a turning point, Walensky pointed out to President Biden in a letter Friday, now that he's changed the...

Defendant Pleads Guilty to Threatening to Kill Walensky

Mississippi man also said he planned to kill Fauci

(Newser) - A Mississippi man who threatened to kill Centers for Disease Control and Prevention Director Rochelle Walensky has pleaded guilty to making threats in interstate commerce, federal prosecutors announced Monday. Robert Wiser Bates, 39, of Ridgeland, threatened to kill Walensky in voicemails left in July 2021 at the CDC headquarters in...

Walensky Tests Positive Again
Walensky
Tests
Positive
Again
Oct 31, 2022 6:00 PM CDT

Walensky Tests Positive Again

CDC director returns to isolation with mild COVID-19 symptoms

(Newser) - The director of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention is back in isolation at home, after testing positive again for COVID-19. Dr. Rochelle Walensky, 53, first had a positive test on Oct 21. She then tested negative after completing a regimen of the antiviral Paxlovid, but mild symptoms returned...

Walensky Tests Positive
Walensky
Tests
Positive
Oct 22, 2022 2:20 PM CDT

Walensky Tests Positive

CDC director reports mild COVID-19 symptoms

(Newser) - The director of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention has tested positive for COVID-19. Dr. Rochelle Walensky is dealing with mild symptoms, the agency said in a statement Saturday, USA Today reports. Walensky plans to attend CDC meetings virtually while isolating at home after testing positive on Friday night....

Reworked COVID Boosters Are Ready for Arms: CDC

Agency sets minimum ages and recommends wait periods

(Newser) - The director of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention on Thursday recommended Americans receive updated coronavirus vaccine booster shots designed to combat omicron variants. "This recommendation followed a comprehensive scientific evaluation and robust scientific discussion," Dr. Rochelle Walensky said in a statement. "If you are eligible,...

After Botched 'Big Moment,' CDC Leader to Make Changes

Dr. Rochelle Walensky announces an agency reset

(Newser) - If you thought the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention botched some things during the COVID pandemic, the head of the CDC agrees with you. Dr. Rochelle Walensky on Wednesday announced that big changes are required and would be instituted in order to allow the agency to better respond to...

CDC: Most People Don't Need Masks
CDC: Most People
Don't Need Masks
Feb 25, 2022 4:12 PM CST

CDC: Most People Don't Need Masks

Recommendation now applies only to high-risk people in high-spread places

(Newser) - Most people in the US can drop the masks, the Center for Disease Control has decided in a major pandemic shift. A change in metrics means wearing a mask to prevent the spread of the coronavirus now is recommended for less than a third of the population, the agency said...

More Children Are in Hospital With COVID Than Ever

Walensky urges surrounding young children with people who are vaccinated

(Newser) - It's not clear whether more children are being hospitalized with COVID-19 because they aren't vaccinated or because they're dealing with more spread in their communities, the CDC director said Friday. Either way, the Hill reports, the hospitalization rates for child COVID patients is higher than it's...

CDC Change: Give Boosters to All Over 12

New policy provides for a clearer message to parents

(Newser) - With coronavirus infections skyrocketing and schools at risk of shutting down, a panel of advisers on Wednesday urged the CDC to fight back by recommending 10 million young people receive the protection of a vaccine booster shot. CDC Director Rochelle Walensky agreed, the Washington Post reports. The change will allow...

Indicators Agree: Omicron Is Milder, Fauci Says

Infections are rising much faster than hospitalizations in the US

(Newser) - Early data from the US and abroad make two things clear about the omicron variant of the coronavirus. "We know now, incontrovertibly, that this is a highly, highly transmissible virus," Dr. Anthony Fauci said Wednesday. And "all indications point to a lesser severity of omicron versus delta....

CDC Gives Thumbs-Up to 'Test-to-Stay' COVID Policy

Practice allows close contacts of infected students to go to school if they themselves test negative

(Newser) - US health officials are endorsing "test-to-stay" policies that allow close contacts of students infected with the coronavirus to remain in classrooms if they test negative. The CDC decided to more firmly embrace the approach, already used by many school districts, after research of such policies in the Chicago and...

CDC Makes Boosters Simple: Everyone 18 and Over Is Eligible

Walensky approves vaccine recommendation from independent experts

(Newser) - The final approval for administering coronavirus vaccine booster shots to everyone 18 and older was granted Friday evening, when the CDC director signed off on the idea. In doing so, Rochelle Walensky accepted the unanimous recommendations from independent experts, the Washington Post reports. "Based on the compelling evidence, all...

CDC Director: 'Enjoy Your Trick-or-Treating'

'Put on those costumes, stay outside,' Walensky says

(Newser) - What a difference a year—and a vaccine—makes. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention Director Rochelle Walensky says Americans should enjoy Halloween traditions including trick-or-treating this year, the Washington Post reports. Last year, the CDC warned against traditional trick-or-treating and said that while socially distanced outdoor events might be...

CDC Might Rethink 'Fully Vaccinated'

Booster shots could alter meaning of virus protection, Walensky says

(Newser) - With booster shots entering the picture, the meaning of being "fully vaccinated" against the coronavirus might have to be adjusted. Director Rochelle Walensky said Friday that the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention "may need to update" its definition, Axios reports. At the moment, anyone two weeks past...

'Highly Unusual' Twist in CDC's Booster Shot Decision

CDC director overruled panel on key recommendation

(Newser) - The path has been cleared for COVID vaccine booster shots for millions of Americans. A CDC panel endorsed Pfizer booster shots for older people Thursday but split with the FDA's approval on a key issue: It didn't recommend booster shots for workers, including teachers and healthcare workers, whose...

CDC Chief 'Deeply Concerned' on Teen COVID Cases

Rochelle Walensky cites rising hospitalization rates in plea to parents to get their kids vaccinated

(Newser) - The head of the CDC made a plea to parents of teens this week, imploring them to get their kids vaccinated against COVID and citing a study showing increased hospitalization rates of adolescents. "I am deeply concerned," Dr. Rochelle Walensky said Friday, the same day new research showed...

CDC Guidance 'Not Based On Science,' Nurses Say

The largest nurses union in the US says mask guidelines were relaxed too soon

(Newser) - Eager to ditch your mask? Not so fast, the nation’s largest nurses union says. National Nurses United has vocally disagreed with the CDC’s new guidance on masks. The CDC said Thursday that fully vaccinated people can go about their business without masks or social distancing, with a few...

Walensky: Politics Didn't Affect Mask Decision

CDC boss: Unvaccinated people still are not safe

(Newser) - Asked Sunday whether political pressure played a role in the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention's about-face on masks, the agency's chief said the deciding factor was science. "It certainly would have been easier if the science had evolved a week earlier," Rochelle Walensky said on...

Youth Sports Is a Suspect as Infections Increase

Michigan's governor asks for a timeout, though some teams are declining

(Newser) - With the rates of young people hospitalized for COVID-19 climbing, especially in Upper Midwest states, officials again are looking for ways to reverse the trend. Sports is one focus. Michigan Gov. Gretchen Whitmer would like organized youth sports, games and practices, to take a two-week break. It's not so...

CDC Move Marks New Strategy on Racism

Director deems it a 'serious public health threat,' takes steps to combat it

(Newser) - The coronavirus pandemic has been at the top of everyone's mind for more than a year, and the focus of infectious disease experts around the world. But the CDC says there's another major issue plaguing the US, and its director is now calling attention to it. "Racism...

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