A new Harvard poll shows that only half of Americans trust the CDC — other health agencies were rated even lower. During a pandemic, trust is critical to the success of a public health response.
Dr. Nancy Messonnier had served as the agency's top respiratory disease official since 2016. Then-President Donald Trump reportedly threatened to fire her after her comments in February 2020.
But the CDC is urging all people — vaccinated or not — to continue avoiding medium or large gatherings since it's still learning how well the vaccines work to curb the spread of the virus.
Epidemiologist Dr. Camara Phyllis Jones says race is merely "the social interpretation of how we look." This social reality is important because different racial groups have different health outcomes.
"The pandemic illuminated inequities that have existed for generations and revealed for all of America a known, but often unaddressed, epidemic impacting public health: racism," Walensky said.
A year into the pandemic, the agency's staffers reflect on what it's been like to fight the biggest public health battle in their history and how they're working to rebuild public trust in science.
The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention is extending an order preventing evictions. It was set to expire this week, which could have displaced staggering numbers of people from their homes.
Getting evicted during COVID can risk a person's health and doom their ability to find a home. The extension this week of a federal order preventing evictions could save many people from that fate.
"Just please hold on a little while longer," said Dr. Rochelle Walensky, warning of a possible fourth surge. U.S. coronavirus cases are up 10% over the previous week.
Monday on Political Rewind: As the legislative session winds down, efforts to change how Georgians vote move in two directions. Lawmakers have taken off the table the most restrict measures: ending no excuse absentee voting and eliminating Sunday early voting. But now, proposals that would likely give Republicans an edge in runoffs and special elections have emerged.
The Center for Disease Control and Prevention is moving to extend an order aimed at preventing evictions during the pandemic. Housing groups say the order could prevent up to 1 million evictions.
The latest COVID-19 relief bill passed by Congress has upward of $27 billion for rental assistance to prevent evictions. With so many renters not paying, many landlords are struggling.
The CDC says hospitals saw a lot more emergency cases involving drug overdoses, as well as mental health crises and suicide attempts. Many emergency departments weren't ready.