Biden says, "Today is a great day for America and our long battle with coronavirus. ... It's been made possible by the extraordinary success we've had in vaccinating so many Americans so quickly."
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.
"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.
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.