The CDC needs a reboot, and now the agency knows it

The arrival of another COVID-19 vaccine brings with it a dose of hope along with new questions and concerns.

This one is a "bivalent" shot that combines a booster with a new recipe that targets omicron subvariants. Its rollout would be tricky to navigate even for the most adept public health professionals and government agencies.

But for the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, whose advisory committee approved the new vaccine Thursday, this presents another difficult turn in what's been a tumultuous path, full of significant missteps, through a pandemic that has killed more than a million Americans over the last two years.

It was only recently that CDC director Rochelle Walensky acknowledged the truth many already knew. "To be frank, we are responsible for some pretty dramatic, pretty public mistakes, from testing to data to communications," Walensky said.

Deep-seated problems at the CDC aren't new and they didn't start with COVID-19. The agency has long relied on its academic credentials and expertise, but has lacked the ability to communicate well with the public, manage its data and information, and provide clear advice. It took a staggering pandemic to bring those shortcomings into focus.

The CDC too often produced confusing guidance or limited data, at times was inappropriately influenced by politics, and on several occasions made governing during the pandemic more difficult. The White House under President Joe Biden, for instance, accused the CDC of withholding key data in a way that complicated the formulation of next steps for booster shots.

Dismayingly, the CDC repeated many of the same errors in its recent response to monkeypox.

It will be difficult to overcome the damaging impact the CDC's mistakes have had on the public's trust in science and health care officials, especially those in government. But Walensky's promise of change is the right first step. Better and more consistent public messaging is critical. Throughout the pandemic, the CDC would change its recommendations. At times its advice lacked logic, and failed to win support from the medical profession.

This shouldn't be hard. The CDC must provide straightforward guidance, advice and information that the public can understand. Eliminating layers of bureaucracy and shortening the time it takes to review data and research also will help.

But the CDC's overhaul also must include a larger culture change, one that makes the agency more independent. It should build on its employees' academic research successes, while focusing more on its obligations to science and the public, including addressing current and future infectious diseases. The remake must position the agency to better respond to emergencies.

It's unclear whether the CDC can accomplish everything on its own. But it must start now, by providing clear information and advice as this new vaccine arrives in doctors' offices and pharmacies.