And are we seeing any breakthrough infections among more vulnerable people who have been vaccinated who might have been around younger people? In 2019, she testified before Congress about the prohibitive cost of preventive therapy and treatments for H.I.V. And today, I want to focus on the challenge of health misinformation thats affecting millions of Americans. You feel healthy, you know people who have had COVID and are doing all right. But right now Im scared., Her impassioned speech startled many people, perhaps none more than her husband. expert at the hospital who was first her mentor, then a collaborator. Get to know Dr. Rochelle Walensky, Biden's CDC director pick. 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. 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. Showing Editorial results for rochelle walensky. Today, Dr. Walensky will provide an update on the state of the pandemic and the Delta variant. Still, Boston colleagues say they have no doubt she'll succeed in making the transition from leading an infectious diseases division of 300 staffers to a public health agency of about 13,000. But veterans in public health said such changes are expected after a leadership change and have occurred before. It was that sometimes it felt like sabotage. "I know all too well. Accuracy and availability may vary. How to Equip Yourself Before an MRI Scan? MR. ZIENTS: Dr. Fauci?DR. But very importantly, technology companies must act as well. Back to you, Jeff. is demonstrably different from that of her predecessor, Dr. Robert R. Redfield. "And one of the reasons why she stood out is because she stands tall. And well reopen when the medical folks and the health experts believe its safe to do so. WALENSKY: And we know that that's going to be really important for CHANG: So what is being done to increase vaccination among that particular group, people who are 70 years or older? 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. ROCHELLE WALENSKY: Thanks so much for having me, Ailsa. And then, secondly, to Dr. Walenskys point a few minutes ago that this is becoming a pandemic of the unvaccinated: How does that change the administrations response to the pandemic? DR. FAUCI: Well, what we do know in the cases that were looked at: If you are vaccinated and you get infected, and you compare that person if youre an asymptomatic infected breakthrough vaccinated case and compare that to someone who is infected but not vaccinated and asymptomatic, the level of virus in the nasal pharynx of the vaccinated person is considerably less than the virus in the nasal pharynx of a person who is infected, unvaccinated, and asymptomatic. But she still eats dinners with her family on Zoom and travels to Massachusetts every weekend. Dr. Walensky also has her eye trained on racial equity in health care within the ranks of C.D.C. I want to make sure every family knows this. But the agency stumbled in February when a test for the virus sent to states proved to be flawed. Did you encounter any technical issues? She joined MGH in 2000 as a graduate assistant at the medical walk-in unit. And thats the thing thats being actively studied right now. The task falls to Dr. Rochelle Walensky, 51, an infectious-diseases specialist at Harvard Medical School and Massachusetts General Hospital, who is expected to become CDC director this week a time when the viruss U.S. death toll has eclipsed 400,000 and continues to accelerate. Post-Workout Nutrition Advice to Make the Most of Your Sweat Session! An error occurred. Beyond unmuzzling her agency's staff, she vows to tackle many other challenges, pushing particularly hard on the vaccine rollout and rebuilding the public health system. Lets take a few questions. Its a science-based sell, and we have to stick with that, he said. 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. 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. CHANG: Well, when it comes to people who are 70 or over - I mean, COVID hospitalizations are rising sharply for that group. And where Dr. Redfield was reticent, Dr. Walensky has often taken a surprisingly direct approach. I know what its like to not be there when it happens," Biden said back in February to mark 500,000 American lives lost. So how to navigate this so-called tripledemic (ph) as the holidays approach? Lets go to Zeke Miller with AP. Even when it's bad news. declined to comment on how the mask recommendations were handled. Last May 11th, it was 24,000. As a subscriber, you have 10 gift articles to give each month. It allowed people who intentionally spread misinformation what we call disinformation to have extraordinary reach.In this advisory, were telling technology companies that we expect more. 2023 Cable News Network. She had a warm, empathetic leadership style, said Dr. Kenneth Freedberg, an H.I.V. At the time, Dr. Walensky was the hospitals chief infectious diseases expert. I will provide an update on how were working on a number of fronts to manage this virus. She reinstated diversity training, and has promoted two Black scientists into management positions. Biden has pledged to put scientists out front on COVID-19 matters, Besser noted. Any decision about opening international travel will be guided by our public health and medical experts. The camp guidance is intended to get our kids to camp and allow them to stay there," she continued. Walensky brought a plaque from her desk in Boston to CDC headquarters in Atlanta. She is involved in a medical discussion on the best strategy to combat the COVID-19 pandemic and achieve herd immunity. Give her a little time, he added. WALENSKY: So we have been recommending masking, as I said, in areas with high COVID-19 community levels. She is known for her role in the handling of the COVID-19 pandemic. 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. She has been selected to lead the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) in the Biden administration, replacing Robert R. Redfield. But C.D.C. Dr. Rochelle Wallinski is the daughter of Carol Bersov Bernstein and Edward H. Bersov, the former chair of the Department of Infectious Diseases at Massachusetts General Hospital. The CDC has been sidelined, has been maligned, has been a punching bag for many politicians in the outgoing administration. Walensky told the medical journal JAMA last month that she'll welcome straight talk from the scientists at the CDC as well. COVID cases have been on the rise after Thanksgiving. Wife of Private 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. MR. ZIENTS: Well, thanks, Dr. Murthy. Thats why I issued the Surgeon General Advisory. But six months later, he still suffers from tachycardia, shortness of breath, and ongoing and frequent flu-like symptoms. Last summer, after protests over the death of George Floyd, more than 1,200 C.D.C. WALENSKY: We have seen certainly a surge in cases, a rise in cases. Next question. 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. Tens of millions have been infected. So the news had special meaning for her and the many jubilant colleagues tweeting their joy. had to walk back. Americans everywhere are going to be gathering with their families and other loved ones to celebrate the holidays. You can read the full advisory at SurgeonGeneral.gov/HealthMisinformation.Thanks for your time. And as promised, the agency has set about issuing more practical masking guidance regarding settings like summer camps (mostly no) and public transportation (yes). Rochelle Walensky (Rochelle Paula Walensky, MD, MPH) serves as Chief of the Division of Infectious Diseases at Massachusetts General Hospital and Professor of Medicine at Harvard Medical School. According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, more than 3 million kids under 17 have contracted COVID-19, Slavitt said, "and even though it's rare for kids to get severely ill from COVID-19, it can happen.". She is the daughter-in-law of Dr. and Mrs. Norman A. Walensky. director. In fact, in the past week, the five states with the highest case rates Arkansas, Florida, Louisiana, Missouri, and Nevada had a higher rate of people getting newly vaccinated compared to the national average.At the same time, our COVID-19 Surge Response Teams are working with governors and local public health officials to provide specific federal resources and capabilities to fight outbreaks due to the spread of the Delta variant.We are already helping many states to identify and address specific needs, including testing, therapeutics, and vaccinations. Yesterday I issued a Surgeon Generals Advisory on the dangers of health misinformation. DR. WALENSKY: Yeah, absolutely. She ordered the hospital staff to wear masks before it became the national norm, and advised the mayor of her town and the governor on testing and prevention of Covid-19. That was a big oversight.. She deeply felt the weight of a half a million dead.. I think people have had some more time to read about and think about the vaccine, he said. "I told you I'd tell you the truth," she said. In one of the videos, Walensky explains the basics of the two vaccines, including that they use a new type of technology, they need to be given in two doses, and they have to be kept at cold temperatures. Massachusetts General Hospital in April 2020. Instead, she's confounding experts and the public alike. On the left, you can see where we were just a short month ago, and compare it to where we are now, on the right. ", Biden Names Massachusetts Doctor To Lead CDC, HHS Spokesperson Takes Leave of Absence After Disparaging Government Scientists, House Oversight Committee Chair: Testimony Points To Political Interference At CDC, Coronavirus Vaccine Q&A: Variants, Side Effects, And More, CDC Offers Clearest Guidance Yet For Reopening Schools, If Schools Follow CDC Guidance, Biden's Reopening Goals Could Be Hard To Reach, Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Rochelle Walensky Family | Ethnicity She was born in Peabody, Massachusetts, to her parents. The agencys handling of the COVID-19 outbreak began in a similar way. Fitness Guru, Austin Alexander Burridge, Reviews 5 Ways to Improve the Quality of Workouts, The best Vegan protein Shakes in 2023 and its health benefits Tried and Tested. The pandemic has caused long-term repercussions throughout the tourism and entertainment industries, including temporary and permanent closures of historic and iconic venues, costing the city and businesses billions in revenue. 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 we sent a lot of kids home and camps were closed. After Rochelle was nominated to the position of director of Centers for Disease Control and Prevention he took to Twitter to congratulate her. And that has had a detrimental effect on the agencys ability to fulfill its mission, said Dr. Richard Besser, a former CDC official who now heads the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation. We only have time for a few questions today. Next slide shows data from the UK with the Delta variant, which the Pfizer-BioNTech, which clearly reflects what well be seeing with Moderna, is 96 percent effective against hospitalization. But the actual studies to do whether or not the transmission occurs is a large study thats ongoing right now. As for the president, whose own life has been marked by family tragedies, Biden has often referenced his own losses in relating to Americans dealing with the pandemic's hardships. "It was so baffling," she says. My husband looked over. Rochelle Walensky is an American physician-scientist. "A vaccine may feel unnecessary. director he chose would be free to make scientifically grounded decisions without interference from politicians. COVID response adviser Andy Slavitt said his son has symptoms 6 months later. An overwhelming majority of its scientists, and particularly those in management positions, are white. C.D.C. She is absolutely fearless in doing what is the correct thing, with zero concern for the political ramifications for herself.. Walensky has said one of her top priorities will be to improve the CDCs communications with the public to rebuild trust. The C.D.C. Visit our website terms of use and permissions pages at www.npr.org for further information. In 2013 she became a physician at the infectious disease unit and in 2017 she became the chief of division of infectious disease. (RAGS) (DJH) March 2, 2023 treatments. All Rights Reserved. Dr. Murthy.SURGEON GENERAL MURTHY: Well, thanks so much, Jeff. And, after weeks of declines, seven-day average daily deaths have increased by 26 percent to 211 per day.Today, Dr. Fauci and I want to provide some perspective about these numbers and how we should be thinking about where we are at this critical moment in the pandemic.There is a clear message that is coming through: This is becoming a pandemic of the unvaccinated. The entire country was in a high level of transmission. Thank you. Ive got two questions: one on breakthrough cases and then a second one on some news that just broke.One, for these breakthrough cases, are they contributing to the spread of coronavirus? And as Dr. Walensky and Dr. Fauci have said theyve made it very clear this is a question that they are continually evaluating. You know, as we have said, this is very heterogeneous across the country and these decisions have to be made at the local level. You don't need to wait for CDC's recommendation, certainly, to wear a mask. It's amazing. Ive fielded many emails from people who want to know how to get it at the earliest possible moment.. That analytic skill has come in handy over the past year, as she has helped lead the pandemic response for her Boston hospital and for the state of Massachusetts. Dr. Kenneth Freedberg was standing at his wife's bedside in a Boston hospital's intensive care unit when an . She was six feet tall, he was 5-foot-8 and she just caught my eye, he recalled. Our seven-day average is about 26,300 cases per day, and this represents an increase of nearly 70 percent from the prior seven-day average.The seven-day average of hospital admissions is about 2,790 per day an increase of about 36 percent from the previous seven-day period. His hands are cold to the touch. NPR transcripts are created on a rush deadline by an NPR contractor. Rochelle holds an American nationality and belongs to the white ethnicity. Scenes from Mass General were still fresh in her mind when she arrived at the C.D.C. So, literally, in real time, we talk about this literally on a daily basis, and evidence is being accumulated on a daily and weekly basis. 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. director in happiness, in joy, said James Krellenstein, executive director of the advocacy group PrEP4All Collaboration. ". Some surveys and focus groups have shown that many health care workers are hesitant to get the vaccines. And she likens the call she got from the Biden. And in November, she offered a sobering reality check from the front lines about current COVID-19 medical treatments: "When I think about the armamentarium of true drugs that we have that benefit people with this disease, it's pretty sparse," she said. Washington, DC 20500, MR. ZIENTS: Good morning, and thanks for joining us. "I got called during a code," she says. 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. ZIENTS: Dr. Walensky, do you want to take the second question? We want to work closely with schools and employers to get their help, increasingly, in getting people vaccinated in schools and in workplaces. Copyright 2022 NPR. The blue and yellow counties have low or moderate transmission. 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. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention Director Rochelle Walensky has come under criticism for the confusing messaging. She gained a reputation as a rigorous researcher and a generous mentor, particularly to young women. Walensky declined to give a timeline on Tuesday on when the CDC will release new guidance for schools after publishing information over the weekend suggesting schools should not keep masking policies in place until the end of this school year. When you talk about a third shot for a two-shot vaccine regimen or another shot for the J&J single-dose regimen, youre talking about enhancing the durability of an already highly effective vaccine. 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. They are a last resort. 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. Jim Lo Scalzo/Pool via REUTERS/File Photo (Pool/Reuters) The director of . CHANG: CDC director Dr. Rochelle Walensky, thank you very much for joining us again. The CDC also lost its standing as the nations go-to source for case counts and other measures of the epidemic after university researchers and others developed better systems for tracking infections. 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. But I have another question before I get to vaccination. Who are Rochelle Walensky's Parents? scientist, who asked not to be identified because he was not authorized to speak publicly, said in April. But she has emerged as a prominent voice on the pandemic, sometimes criticizing certain aspects of the state and national response. She also serves as a co-director, medical practice evaluation center and also as director, program in epidemiology and outcomes research in infectious diseases. Rochelle at baseline is an excellent communicator, but I think in a situation this fraught politically, operationally and how quickly the science moves youre going to make mistakes, said Dr. Celine Gounder, a former adviser to Mr. Bidens team on Covid-19. She has been nominated by President-elect Joe Biden as the Director of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. They were both Jewish, and shared a deep interest in medicine and music she played the flute and he was a classical pianist. Lets begin with an overview of the data.Yesterday, CDC reported more than 33,000 new cases of COVID-19. Born Rochelle Bersoff, Dr. Walensky grew up in Potomac, Md. Discovery Company. Rochelle is 6 feet tall. Dr. Rochelle Walensky was supposed to be a breath of fresh air after Trump-era CDC messaging fiascos. Dr. Walensky served as Chief of the Division of Infectious Diseases at Massachusetts General Hospital from 2017-2020 and Professor of Medicine at Harvard Medical School from 2012-2020. 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. You can just look at her and just by her presence know that she is both competent and dedicated, said Schaffner, a liaison representative on the CDCs Advisory Committee on Immunization Practices. So, just curious if you can offer any additional color.MR. Opt in to send and receive text messages from President Biden. We are dealing with highly effective vaccines. Published Some of its advice had been twisted by the Trump administration, and her message was clear: The C.D.C. "I don't think we're going to feel it then. Do we believe that they will maintain some protection against infection? The President, yesterday, said that he was hoping for a timeline to set a timeline for lifting some travel restrictions in the next couple of days. WALENSKY: And maybe MR. 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. Dr. Walensky was not on the Bidens administrations initial list of candidates for C.D.C. Dr. Walensky joined the faculty of Harvard University in 2001, where she worked on health policy for infectious diseases, particularly H.I.V. The authoritative record of NPRs programming is the audio record. staff members. (Demetrius Freeman/The Washington Post) And please do it to protect your young children who, right now, cant get vaccinated themselves. She saw many people die. Dr. Rochelle Walenskys pioneering research has helped advance the national and global response to HIV/AIDS. If you have symptoms, go to areas with high ventilation. Take a COVID test if you have symptoms. : 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. Some felt betrayed by agency leaders who did not speak out publicly against the political interference. In November she co-authored a paper published in Health Affairs in November 2020 that showed the factors that can affect the efficacy of a COVID-19 vaccine. Rochelle Walensky, MD, MPH, is the chief of the Division of Infectious Diseases at Massachusetts General Hospital and professor of medicine at Harvard Medical School; has conducted influential research on HIV/AIDS, making her one of the nation's leading experts on virus testing, prevention and treatment, and has served on the frontline of the The task falls to Dr. Rochelle Walensky, 51, an infectious-diseases specialist at Harvard Medical School and Massachusetts General Hospital, who is expected to become CDC director this week a . guidance or in her tone: The viruss hold on the country is loosening, but large parts of the population remain unvaccinated and the pandemic is not yet over. I am so grateful to @JoeBiden @KamalaHarris and @Transition46 for their faith in this truly remarkable woman. February 27, 2023 Michael S. Regan Administrator Environmental Protection Agency 1200 Pennsylvania Avenue, NW Washington, DC 20460 Dr. Rochelle Walensky Maybe, you know, latter part of this year, early next year just curious.I also know that there can be higher risk of side effects, potentially, with a third booster shot. And its great to be with all of you again today. (Photo by Roy Rochlin/Getty Images), Dr. Rochelle Walensky, who has been selected to serve as director of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention speaks during an event at The Queen theater in Wilmington, Del., Tuesday, Dec. 8, 2020, to announce President-elect Joe Biden's his health care team. Is That Enough? And so as we see reentry into respiratory viruses and as areas around the country are turning from green to yellow to orange, we have said - orange really does indicate that there is a lot of infection in the community, that there's a lot of severe disease coming into the hospital and that many of the beds in the hospitals are really now occupied by people with COVID-19. "I got called during a code," she says. 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. "And when you get called during a code, your job is to be there to help.". 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. Rochelle Paula Walensky is an American physician-scientist who is the chief of the Division of Infectious Diseases at Massachusetts General Hospital and a professor of medicine at Harvard Medical School. [1] For months, on these briefings, weve talked about barriers to getting vaccinated. WALENSKY: Good morning. Health misinformation is false, inaccurate, or misleading information about health according to the best evidence at the time. Married to Loren Walensky, also a physician and scientist. At that meeting, committee members discussed a survey of nearly 13,000 nurses, which showed that only 34% planned to voluntarily get the vaccine if their employers dont require them to get it. Like, here in LA County, the public health director, Barbara Ferrer, said just this week that, quote, "everybody should just go ahead and put those masks on when they're indoors."
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