Rochelle Walensky, the new director of the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, said she will begin her new job with a big to-do list: helping states solve Covid-19 vaccination programs and convincing tired Americans to wear masks and other take precautions.
In an interview with The Wall Street Journal, Dr. Walensky that the agency will try to help people overcome doubts about Covid-19 vaccines and she pledged to build public confidence in the CDC.
Dr. Walensky will take over from the CDC on Wednesday as a highly transmissible mutant or variant of the new coronavirus threatens to spark another wave of infections in the coming weeks.
Meanwhile, the vaccination campaign to stop the pandemic is getting off to a slow start, and surveys show that many people in the US are reluctant to get vaccinated.
“This is an emergency,” said Dr. Walensky, completing paperwork for her new job so that she could start working immediately after the change in administration. New presidents often wait weeks or months to appoint CDC directors.