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A4 U.S. NEWS
Thursday 18 augusT 2022
CDC director announces shake-up, citing COVID mistakes

By MIKE STOBBE this effort was to hold up
AP Medical Writer the mirror ... to understand
NEW YORK (AP) — The head where and how we could
of the nation's top public do better."
health agency on Wednes- Her reorganization propos-
day announced a shake- al must be approved by
up of the organization, say- the Department of Health
ing it fell short responding and Human Services secre-
to COVID-19 and needs to tary.
become more nimble. CDC officials say they hope
The planned changes at to have a full package
the Centers for Disease of changes finalized, ap-
Control and Prevention — proved and underway by
CDC leaders call it a "re- early next year.
set"— come amid criticism Some changes still are be-
of the agency's response to ing formulated, but steps
COVID-19, monkeypox and announced Wednesday
other public health threats. include:
The changes include in- —Increasing use of preprint
ternal staffing moves and scientific reports to get out
steps to speed up data re- actionable data, instead of
leases. waiting for research to go
The CDC's director, Dr. Ro- A Centers for Disease Control and Prevention sign stands at the entrance of their offices in Atlanta through peer review and
chelle Walensky, told the on Tuesday, April 19, 2022. publication by the CDC
agency's staff about the Associated Press journal Morbidity and Mor-
changes on Wednesday. tality Weekly Report.
It's a CDC initiative, and er public health threats. It's how much virus was enter- Walensky, who became di- —Restructuring the agen-
was not directed by the customary for each CDC ing the U.S. from Europe, to rector in January 2021, has cy's communications of-
White House or other ad- director to do some reor- recommend people wear long said the agency has fice and further revamping
ministration officials, she ganizing, but Walensky's masks, to say the virus can to move faster and com- CDC websites to make the
said. action comes amid a wider spread through the air, and municate better, but stum- agency's guidance for the
"I feel like it's my my respon- demand for change. to ramp up systematic test- bles have continued dur- public more clear and eas-
sibility to lead this agency The agency has long been ing for new variants. ing her tenure. In April, she ier to find.
to a better place after a criticized as too ponder- "We saw during COVID that called for an in-depth re- —Altering the length of
really challenging three ous, focusing on collection CDC's structures, frankly, view of the agency, which time agency leaders are
years," Walensky told The and analysis of data but weren't designed to take resulted in the announced devoted to outbreak re-
Associated Press. not acting quickly against in information, digest it changes. sponses to a minimum of six
The Atlanta-based agen- new health threats. Pub- and disseminate it to the "It's not lost on me that we months — an effort to ad-
cy, with a $12 billion bud- lic unhappiness with the public at the speed neces- fell short in many ways" re- dress a turnover problem
get and more than 11,000 agency grew dramatically sary," said Jason Schwartz, sponding to the corona- that at times caused knowl-
employees, is charged with during the COVID-19 pan- a health policy researcher virus, Walensky said. "We edge gaps and affected
protecting Americans from demic. Experts said the at the Yale School of Public had some pretty public the agency's communica-
disease outbreaks and oth- CDC was slow to recognize Health. mistakes, and so much of tions. q

U.S. traffic deaths, once in decline, continue to rise in 2022

fic Safety Administration. fund investments in speed Nearly 43,000 people were
Traffic deaths have risen enforcement and to build killed on U.S. roads last year.
ever since pandemic lock- safer roads. That's the highest number in
downs eased in 2020 as "The overall numbers are 16 years.
people returned to work still moving in the wrong Traffic deaths rose 10.5%
and started taking more direction," NHTSA Adminis- last year over 2020, the
road trips. People drove trator Steven Cliff said in a largest percentage in-
about 40 billion more miles prepared statement. "Now crease since NHTSA began
in the first quarter than is the time for all states to its fatality data collection
a year earlier, a 5.6% in- double down on traffic in 1975. The agency will re-
crease, the agency said. safety." lease final numbers for 2021
But the rate of traffic deaths The infrastructure law has in the fall.
per 100 million miles trav- money for significant in- NHTSA's fatality estimates
eled also increased dur- vestments in highway safe- are usually close to the ac-
ing the quarter from 1.25 ty, Cliff said. tual numbers.
Emergency crews work the scene of a fatal crash involving a
charter bus and car on the AA highway in Campbell County, deaths, to 1.27, according The agency has started Cliff, who was confirmed by
Ky., Jan. 25, 2020. to the agency. running ads urging people the Senate to run NHTSA just
Associated Press Before 2020, the number to slow down and not to three months ago, is leav-
of fatalities had fallen for drive while impaired. On ing the agency next month
DETROIT (AP) — U.S. traffic during the first three months three consecutive years. Wednesday it announced to run the California Air Re-
fatalities began to climb of the year to 9,560 people, The government has the annual national im- sources Board, which regu-
two years ago and that the highest number for a blamed the increase on paired driving enforcement lates pollution. Chief Coun-
deadly trend is continuing first quarter in two decades, speeding, impaired driving program with local police sel Ann Carlson will run the
in 2022. according to estimates by and other reckless behav- for the weeks around the agency until a new admin-
Roadway deaths rose 7% the National Highway Traf- ior, and it has pledged to Labor Day holiday. istrator is nominated.q