By Mike Stobee
Associated Press
The director of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), Rochelle Walensky, announced on Wednesday a profound restructuring that seeks to respond more quickly and effectively to health emergencies such as the coronavirus pandemic.
"In our big time, our performance fell short of expectations," she admitted in an exercise in self-criticism over the agency's response to COVID-19.
The adjustments announced by Walensky include internal personnel changes and measures to speed up the publication of health data.
This is an initiative raised by the CDC, and not by the White House or other officials of the Joe Biden government, said the director.
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"I feel responsible for renewing this agency after three really challenging years," Walensky said in an interview with The Associated Press news agency.
The CDC, which is headquartered in Atlanta, Georgia, has a $12 billion budget and more than 11,000 employees.
Its primary function is to protect citizens from disease outbreaks and other threats to public health.
Those who have run the agency have also implemented restructurings, but those announced by Walensky are expected to go even deeper given the severity of recent criticism.