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(AP Photo/Susan Walsh). CHANG: So I want to start with what seems to be kind of just a common-sense measure against all three viruses right now, and that is masking. Second, unfortunately, if you have symptoms, if you are feeling unwell, we are going to ask you to stay home. I have to fix that.". MORE: 5 things to know about COVID protections as Americans head back to work (RAGS) (DJH) March 2, 2023 Visit our website terms of use and permissions pages at www.npr.org for further information. We are seeing outbreaks of cases in parts of the country that have low vaccination coverage because unvaccinated people are at risk. For her birthday a few years ago, her team at the hospital came to work dressed like her wearing black, or white, or black-and-white, Dr. Freedberg said. And thats the thing thats being actively studied right now. 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. As a subscriber, you have 10 gift articles to give each month. Walensky told the medical journal JAMA last month that she'll welcome straight talk from the scientists at the CDC as well. "A vaccine may feel unnecessary. And we have certainly always said that masking is a personal choice. Lets go to Zeke Miller with AP. Generals infectious diseases chief Dr. Rochelle Walensky to lead CDC, How local doctors and public health experts are reacting to Biden picking MGHs Rochelle Walensky to head CDC, Biden says his advisers will lead with science and truth. director. Acting Administrator of the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services Andy Slavitt speaks during a COVID-19 Response briefing, May 18, 2021. 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 . When people write about me as the selection for this position, they will say, But she has no on-the-ground public health experience,' she said during a podcast with the Journal of the American Medical Association. When the pandemic began, Dr. Walensky, 52, was chief of the infectious diseases division at Massachusetts General Hospital. "At one point, one of my sons said, 'You know, Dad, we should just open a florist shop at this point," says Rochelle Walensky's husband, Dr. Loren Walensky. A highway sign in Vancouver, Wash., the day after the state lifted its mask mandate for fully vaccinated adults. At her first all-hands meeting, Dr. Walensky startled the staff when she spoke emphatically about measures to increase diversity and inclusion in the agencys work and in its ranks. She joined Harvard University in 1998 as a research fellow and in 2001 she became an instructor at Harvard Medical School. 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. Id like to continue it along the lines that Dr. Walensky had mentioned, but now maybe take a look at it from a global standpoint, if I could have the first slide. They will know that she knows what its like to be at the bedside of a very sick patient, he said. Any decision about opening international travel will be guided by our public health and medical experts. She has been Director of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, since January 20, 2021. And as Dr. Walensky and Dr. Fauci have said theyve made it very clear this is a question that they are continually evaluating. 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. But through it all, as the long months became a year, Walensky had been out front, Stephenson says, sticking to the science and telling the truth. Even when it's bad news. She met her husband, Dr. Loren Walensky, now a pediatric oncologist at Brigham and Womens Hospital in Boston, in her first year at the university. And this type of localized, person-to-person approach takes some time, but it is working.In the past 10 days, 5 million Americans have rolled up their sleeves to get a shot in their arms, and millions more Americans will get vaccinated across the summer months.Importantly, states with the highest case rates are seeing their vaccination rates go up. Im encouraged by these commitments because turning the tide against health misinformation will take all of us. Do we believe that they will maintain some protection against infection? The agencys handling of the COVID-19 outbreak began in a similar way. 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 . And across this country people are suffering. But its also going to take each one of us, you know, as Americans across this country, looking to our family and our friends and asking them if they are vaccinated.You know, this vaccination campaign is going to move, in part, driven by trusted relationships. Dr. Walensky was known as a tough-minded advocate for people with AIDS. Dr. Walensky, a widely respected infectious disease expert known for her battles with drug companies over prohibitive prices, seemed ideally suited. "We are experiencing incredibly sad days," she said in an interview in the spring. February 27, 2023 Michael S. Regan Administrator Environmental Protection Agency 1200 Pennsylvania Avenue, NW Washington, DC 20460 Dr. Rochelle Walensky He calls Rochelle his "Wonder Woman" and still remembers when he first saw her 30 years ago, in the cafeteria of the Johns Hopkins School of Medicine, where they were both students. And if you are diagnosed early, we have antivirals that can be used to shorten your disease course and your disease severity. would no longer bend to political meddling. The two announcements captured the challenge that will define Dr. Walenskys tenure at the C.D.C. WALENSKY: Good morning. One of her most prominent papers calculated that HIV drugs had given American patients at least 3 million more years of life. She earned an MPH in clinical effectiveness from the Harvard School of Public Health in 2001 after participating in the Massachusetts General Hospital/Brigham and Womens Hospital Infectious Diseases Fellowship Program. 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. Then, Dr. Fauci will present the data from other countries facing the Delta variant. Every American 12 and older, no matter where they live, has vaccines readily available to them. Under unrelenting pressure from the pandemic and the Trump administration, the atmosphere inside the agency devolved last year into ugly rivalries and turf wars, according to several staff scientists. Contact: Media Relations. Inside the agency, she wants to raise morale, in large part by restoring the primacy of science and setting politics to the side. The recent exits of two high-ranking agency officials within the C.D.C. Walensky brought a plaque from her desk in Boston to CDC headquarters in Atlanta. Some felt betrayed by agency leaders who did not speak out publicly against the political interference. Accuracy and availability may vary. 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. Dr. Rochelle Walenskys pioneering research has helped advance the national and global response to HIV/AIDS. Its my responsibility to tell both of those stories.. The test kit problem was tied to laboratory contamination at the agencys Atlanta headquarters a sign of sloppiness. She later became an assistant professor before being promoted to associate professor in 2007. Now 51 years old, Walensky has long been a doctor on a mission first, to fight AIDS around the world, and now, to shore up the CDC and get the United States through the pandemic. And so that's really the goal. And so, if youve got people in your life who trust you, who look to you for advice, then you have the power to help them get them accurate information and help get them vaccinated and protected from COVID-19. I think we're still going to have, after we vaccinate 100 million Americans, we're going to have 200 million more that we're going to need to vaccinate.". For Immediate Release: Friday, June 4, 2021. 524 Rochelle Walensky Photos and Premium High Res Pictures - Getty Images Images Editorial FILTERS CREATIVE EDITORIAL VIDEO All Sports Entertainment News Archival Browse 524 rochelle walensky stock photos and images available, or start a new search to explore more stock photos and images. CHANG: I will. WALENSKY: You know, so we have always said when we released our COVID-19 community levels back in February that things were on the downward trend, and that was really good news but that we wanted you to put your masks away, not to throw your masks out. She had a warm, empathetic leadership style, said Dr. Kenneth Freedberg, an H.I.V. Khazarian-Installed CDC Director Rochelle Walensky Lies Whenever Her Lips Are Moving Producing An Exploding Covid Vax Mortality Rate (Video) Posted on March 3, 2023 by And then some more protection against hospitalization, severe disease, yes. Well, we're going to put that question now to CDC director Rochelle Walensky. At Tuesday's White House briefing, senior coronavirus adviser Andy Slavitt revealed that one of his sons, Zach, who is 19, has serious lingering effects from COVID-19 -- six months after he first tested positive. But that enthusiasm has been tempered by occasional missteps in communications, an aspect of the job that is more important and challenging than it has ever been. I want to thank everybody for joining todays briefing and look forward to next week. Rochelle Walensky is the daughter of Edward Bersoff and Carol Bersoff-Bernstein. Dr. Rochelle Walensky had just been tapped to lead the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Discovery Company. hide caption, Dr. Rochelle Walensky likens the call she got from the Biden team, asking her to lead the CDC amid a pandemic, to a hospital alarm that goes off when a patient's heart has stopped. Like the federal government was actively trying to mess things up.". You know, this strategy as we think, going forward, about how to get the rest of the country vaccinated has got to involve everyone. Copyright 2022 NPR. At the same time, we have an increase in cases and the existence of the Delta variant. Date Filed Document Text; March 2, 2023: Filing 3 Notice to File Rule 7.1 Disclosure Statement. In the past, the position has generally been unfilled until a new secretary of health and human services is confirmed, and that official names a CDC director. The C.D.C.s New Leader Follows the Science. That includes 11 million delayed pediatric vaccinations; widespread mental health problems; an uptick in opioid overdoses; and lapses in control of high blood pressure, cancer and H.I.V. 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. The orange and red counties have substantial to high transmission. 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. Rochelle P. Walensky, MD, MPH, is the Director of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention and the Administrator of the Agency for Toxic Substances and Disease Registry. And then well open it up for a few questions.Now, over to you, Dr. Walensky.DR. Published Rochelle is married to Loren Walensky, a pediatric oncologist, cancer chemical biologist and director of the Harvard/MIT MD-PhD Program. We are dealing with highly effective vaccines. Leading and rebuilding the CDC in the midst of a pandemic will be difficult. CDC Director Rochelle Walensky said more than 4.1 million adolescents 12 to 17 have been vaccinated so far, including over half a million 12-15-year-olds who have lined up to get a shot since the Pfizer vaccine was authorized for adolescents earlier this month. I want to make sure every family knows this. If you have symptoms, go to areas with high ventilation. : 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. While public health veterans say they do not know everything that happened behind the scenes, they say Redfield apparently failed to stand up for agency scientists, declined to contradict Trump and those around him and passively allowed the Trump administration to post its messaging on CDC websites. And Dr. Murthy will discuss vaccine confidence with a focus on combatting misinformation and disinformation. Or is it mainly unvaccinated people that thats happening since this is, as Walensky phrased it, a pandemic of the unvaccinated.And secondly, Pfizer just announced that the FDA has granted a priority review designation for their application for approval of their vaccine. And Ill pass it back to Jeff. Neither he nor his parents -- my wife and I -- are sure how long this will last," Slavitt continued, speaking of the younger of his two sons. Retrospectively, when you look at the negative reaction of so many people, so many organizations, you have to come to the conclusion that it could have been done better, he said. Its safe, its free, its readily available, and its never been more important.As we manage this virus, our whole-of-government effort continues to work to get more people vaccinated, address areas where were seeing outbreaks among the unvaccinated, and prepare for every scenario.First and foremost, we continue to vaccinate hundreds of thousands of new people each day meeting unvaccinated Americans where they are, answering their questions, helping them make up their mind, and making it even easier and more convenient to get a shot as soon as they are ready to do so.Were doing this by trus- by entrusting and empowering messengers trusted messengers to have the conversations we know work whether its vaccinated people in communities across the country talking directly to their neighbors, sharing their own vaccination journey and answering question; or its Olivia Rodrigo using her voice and platform to spread the word.Were working with doctors, pharmacists, employers, educators, and school administrators to bring vaccines to where people are.And as Dr. Murthy will discuss, were taking disinformation and misinformation head on.We continue to see efforts to deliberately mislead the American people about the importance of vaccination. Go present to your physician for other tests like for RSV or influenza. The most recent instance, when Dr. Walensky announced that vaccinated people could go mask-free indoors, was supported by the latest research, scientists said. 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 . Dr. Redfield did not respond, and later in the year the agency suspended diversity training programs following an executive order from the Trump administration. So the news had special meaning for her and the many jubilant colleagues tweeting their joy. Some surveys and focus groups have shown that many health care workers are hesitant to get the vaccines. It might be tough for people to hear Walenskys message that masks will still be necessary well into the new year, Schaffner noted. https://www.nytimes.com/2021/06/10/health/walensky-cdc-covid.html. WALENSKY: And maybe MR. Like, will you be personally masking up at the supermarket or just avoiding large gatherings in general? Now, health misinformation has been a problem long before COVID. And within communities, these cases are occurring primarily among unvaccinated individuals. The C.D.C. We'll be in touch with the latest information on how President Biden and his administration are working for the American people, as well as ways you can get involved and help our country build back better. WALENSKY: The messaging that we're using in terms of protecting older people from COVID but also from other respiratory pathogens - and including influenza and RSV, both of which impact older people with more severity as well - is prevention mechanisms such as flu vaccine and COVID vaccination, really critically important. 11:38 A.M. EDTTo view the COVID Press Briefing slides, visithttps://www.whitehouse.gov/wp-content/uploads/2021/07/COVID-Press-Briefing_16July2021_for-transcript.pdf. As someone who has lost 10 family members to COVID-19 and who wishes each and every day that they had had access to the vaccine, its painful to know that nearly every death we are seeing now from COVID-19 could have been prevented. Flu hospitalizations for this time of year are higher than they have been in a decade. At Massachusetts General Hospital, where Walensky was the chief of infectious diseases, some of her many admirers now have T-shirts that read "Answer the Code" with her initials, RPW, beneath. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention Director Rochelle Walensky has come under criticism for the confusing messaging. So the first thing is what can you do in advance? But, importantly, over 97 percent of people who are entering the hospital right now are unvaccinated. Or is that just a must have decision by date. But in a recent interview, she was unapologetic about the rapid shifts in C.D.C. We'll open the windows for people, increase ventilation if we can. Thats something I think will be fixed on Day One, he said. CHANG: I mean, why isn't the CDC more strongly recommending masking in public places right now, during this so-called tripledemic? MR. ZIENTS: So, Dr. Fauci on breakthrough cases. Rochelle Walensky Religion One of the things that gives me hope is I did not see a large exodus from CDC during this past year. Sister of Private, https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Rochelle_Walensky. At the same time, as Dr. Fauci said, because we have so many people fully vaccinated, including about 80 percent of seniors those who are most vulnerable, those over 65 years of age we will likely see smaller increases in hospitalizations, similar to the Israel and UK experience. It will take all of us. ZIENTS: Dr. Walensky, do you want to take the second question? Daughter of Private and Private You don't need to wait for CDC's recommendation, certainly, to wear a mask. 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. "Super loud. This year, it got to zero and I told him he wasn't going.". After medical school, Rochelle Walensky trained in a hospital medical unit so tough it was compared to the Marines. She has been selected to lead the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) in the Biden administration, replacing Robert R. Redfield. This is amazing!' The pandemic also exposed some CDC failures and weaknesses unrelated to politics. I came directly from a hospital that had a morgue sitting outside, she said in an interview. 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. 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. She earned her MD from Johns Hopkins School of Medicine. Is That Enough? On December 7, 2020 President-elect Joe Biden nominated Dr. Rochelle Walensky as the new director of Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. He works at Dana-Farber Cancer Institute where he joined in 2003 as an attending physician in pediatric hematology/oncology and in 2006 he founded his cancer chemical biology research laboratory. Rochelle is married to Loren Walensky, a pediatric oncologist, cancer chemical biologist and director of the Harvard/MIT MD-PhD Program. Some of its advice had been twisted by the Trump administration, and her message was clear: The C.D.C. "We now have 38,000 new infections, on average, per day. In a hearing on COVID-19 on Capitol Hill last week, Walensky was forced to defend the agencys integrity against questions around recent murky messaging and shared a personal story about her son to support the CDC guidance on summer camps. Its another community that is safer. and the exclusion of women from its clinical trials as unacceptable.. So does that mean were not going to see full approval for their vaccine until January 2022? And where Dr. Redfield was reticent, Dr. Walensky has often taken a surprisingly direct approach. Dr. Walensky joined the faculty of Harvard University in 2001, where she worked on health policy for infectious diseases, particularly H.I.V. The vaccines work. Her father, Edward Bersoff, was a mathematician and engineer at NASA; her mother, Carol Bersoff-Bernstein, was an executive at a technology company. She has weighed in often and publicly about coronavirus policy and medicine, speaking to journalists with a natural candor that's contrasted with the stiffer style of some federal officials. However, if you look at the trend on the far righthand part of that slide, theres that uptick, which somehow was reflecting what Dr. Walensky just told you about the slight uptick that were seeing in hospitalizations in our own country. [1] Connect to the World Family Tree to find out, Walenski, Walenski, Walenski, Prominent Scientists: (i) Exact Sciences & Natural Sciences, Get to know Dr. Rochelle Walensky, Biden's CDC director pick, Parents are Carol Bersoff-Bernstein and Edward H. Bersoff. You feel healthy, you know people who have had COVID and are doing all right. Stay away from people who are sick. "I think they've been muzzled that science hasn't been heard. When we look over time, we can put these increasing cases in perspective. Were asking people to raise their bar for sharing health information by checking sources before they share information to ensure its backed by credible, scientific sources. Around the country, we're seeing now decreases in rates of RSV, fortunately, in the South, South Central, even in the Northeast, in the Mid-Atlantic region. I think governments can play an important role here, but this has got to be an all of the above strategy with everybody in. My kids jumped up. 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. How to be Extra Cautious with Your Skin during Seasonal Transitions? But we are still learning about the long-term effects of COVID," Slavitt added, in a personal plea to increase young adult vaccinations across the country. Now, in the upper righthand corner, which is where we are today, you can see the recent growth in cases where the red and orange are again increasing. Why isn't the CDC putting out more forceful messaging about protecting older people from COVID this season? 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.. WALENSKY: Yeah. Because we have fully vaccinated more than 160 million Americans, weve fundamentally changed the course of this pandemic from one that puts the lives and livelihoods of all Americans at risk, to one that predominantly threatens unvaccinated people.As Dr. Walensky said, as the more transmissible Delta variant continues to spread across the country, we will likely continue and experi- continue to experience an increase in COVID cases in the weeks ahead, with these cases concentrated in communities with lower vaccination rates. MR. ZIENTS: Dr. Fauci?DR. We want to work closely with schools and employers to get their help, increasingly, in getting people vaccinated in schools and in workplaces. 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. Next question. But the actual studies to do whether or not the transmission occurs is a large study thats ongoing right now. COVID response adviser Andy Slavitt said his son has symptoms 6 months later. Post-Workout Nutrition Advice to Make the Most of Your Sweat Session! Dr. Anthony Fauci and CDC Director Dr. Rochelle Walensky were among the witnesses testifying on ending the pandemic at a hearing held by the House Coronavirus Crisis Subcommittee. The science, as always, will guide us. C.D.C. She is known for her role in the handling of the COVID-19 pandemic. Veteran CDC scientists handled crises such as a deadly national surge in hepatitis A cases among homeless people and illicit drug users, and a mysterious spike in severe illnesses in people who vaped electronic cigarettes. Walensky's family has a tradition of service, including a grandfather who served in World War II and rose to be a brigadier general. Rochelle is the daughter of Carol and Edward H. Bersoff, a chief executive. 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. 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. Those who peddle and promote these dangerous lies are harming the very people who are most at risk and furthering a pandemic that has already taken more than 600,000 American lives.We are calling on everyone social media platforms, news organizations, individual Americans to call this activity out and to help get the facts out to your friends, families, and communities so that were protecting our fellow Americans, not purposely putting them in harms way.As I said last week, vaccinating more and more Americans each day is an individual-by-individual, community-by-community effort. Welcome back to ALL THINGS CONSIDERED. I was hoping you could talk about the objective metrics that youre looking to present to the President for when some of these travel restrictions can be eased.