The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention has taken a lot of heat over the past two

and a half years for how it's handled COVID-19.

The record number of new COVID cases and controversy over the CDC's COVID response.

The agency has been heavily criticized for its handling of the pandemic from its recommendations

on mask wearing to its isolation and quarantine guidance.

Like that guidance has been met with some criticism, both from people who claim it is too strict

and others who say it's too loose.

We say guidance, but how much of a guide isn't really?

Is it really cleared up the confusion?

Last week, the agency's director, Dr. Rochelle Walensky, owned up to some of the missteps.

And in the message to her agency's staff, she made some big admissions.

She said, quote, to be frank, we are responsible for some pretty dramatic, pretty public mistakes.

And quote, in our big moment, our performance did not reliably meet expectations.

I spoke with Dr. Walensky yesterday and she told me that she's taking responsibility

for it, even for the things that happened before she took the job in January of 2021.

I came in halfway into this pandemic and saw a lot of challenges that occurred before

I arrived.

By arriving and taking the reins as the CDC director, I owned both of those challenges that

occurred before me, but also that occurred since I got there.

And I think that some of those challenges have been pretty public.

And now, Dr. Walensky is spearheading major changes to the agency.

Welcome to the journal, our show about money, business, and power.

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