This week in COVID: US workers lose $28B in unpaid wages, CDC to undergo ‘reset’

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention will be getting a major facelift.

Amid ongoing criticism for the agency’s response to the COVID-19 pandemic, and other viral outbreaks along the way, CDC director Dr. Rochelle Walensky announced it will undergo large-scale changes, calling it a “reset.”

The announcement came as a result of an in-depth review that was ordered by the CDC director in April.

The reorganization “will not be simply moving boxes,” Walensky told the Associated Press. “I feel like it’s my responsibility to lead this agency to a better place after a really challenging three years.”

Although the changes are still being formulated, some of the steps include altering the length of time agency leaders are devoted to outbreak responses, restructuring the agency’s communications office, and increasing use of preprint scientific reports to get out actionable data, among others.

COVID may have caused $28B in lost wages, report shows

Americans may have missed out on about $28 billion in wages due to not having access to sick leaving during the first two years of the COVID-19 pandemic, according to a report by the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation and Urban Institute released earlier this month.

The report found prior to and during the first two years of the pandemic, 58% of all work absences were unpaid. Other findings:

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R&I. -TxPAT

ConservativeChick

Article URL : https://www.usatoday.com/story/news/health/2022/08/19/covid-news-this-week-moderna-booster-cdc/10329386002/