On Wednesday, an internal review of how the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) has handled the the COVID-19 pandemic was released, outlining several major failings in the agency's response.
Among the criticisms made in the review were that the agency takes too long to publish its data and science for decision making, and that its guidance and messaging on the issue has often been confusing.
"For 75 years, CDC and public health have been preparing for COVID-19, and in our big moment, our performance did not reliably meet expectations," the agency's director, Rochelle Walensky, said in a statement.
In response to the review, Walensky, who ordered it, has vowed to make a series of changes at the agency.
"My goal is a new, public health action-oriented culture at CDC that emphasizes accountability, collaboration, communication and timeliness," she said.
Below is a timeline of significant announcements that the CDC has made regarding its COVID guidelines and recommendations over the course of the pandemic:
2020
January 27
The CDC recommends that travelers avoid all nonessential travel to China in response to the emerging COVID-19 outbreak there.
April 3
The CDC announces new mask wearing guidelines and recommends that all people over the age of 2 should wear one in public settings where it is hard to maintain social distancing. Previously, the agency had only recommended healthy people wear a mask if they were working in a health care setting or caring for an infected person.
April 22
The CDC recommends that people restrict the interactions of their pets with other people or animals outside their household after two pet cats test positive for the SARS-CoV-2 virus in separate cases.
October 5
The CDC acknowledges that the SARS-CoV-2 has the potential to spread via airborne transmission even when six feet of social distancing is being maintained. This comes almost three months after the WHO announced that the virus could be transmitted through the air and is likely being spread by asymptomatic individuals.
November 21
The agency recommends that all travelers test one to three days before and three to five days after all international air-travel, in addition to staying home for seven to 14 days after travel.
December 3
The CDC's Advisory Committee on Immunization Practices (ACIP) recommends that health care professionals and older people living in long-term care facilities should be first in line to receive a COVID-19 vaccine shot.
December 11
After the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) issued an emergency-use authorization for the Pfizer-BioNTech COVID-19 vaccine, ACIP recommends the shot for everyone aged 16 and over.
December 19
ACIP recommends the Moderna COVID-19 vaccine for everyone aged 18 and over.
2021
February 28
ACIP recommends the Johnson & Johnson's COVID-19 vaccine for people aged 18 and older.
March 28
The CDC announces that fully vaccinated individuals can safely meet with other fully vaccinated people indoors without masks or social distancing.
April 2
The CDC announces that fully vaccinated people can travel with a reduced risk.
April 13
Concerns about a handful of rare but serious blood clots lead the CDC and FDA to recommend pausing the Johnson & Johnson vaccine, although its use resumes after a safety review later in the month.
May 12
ACIP recommends the Pfizer-BioNTech COVID-19 vaccine for people aged 12 to 15 years.
July 21
As the highly transmissible Delta variant spreads across the country, the CDC updates its mask guidance, recommending that people who live in areas of high transmission should wear a mask indoors.
September 24
ACIP recommends a vaccine booster of the Pfizer-BioNTech shot for certain high risk groups. The committee also includes the Moderna vaccine in this recommendation in October.
November 2
ACIP recommends the Pfizer-BioNTech pediatric COVID-19 vaccine for children aged 5 to 11.
December 9
All people aged 16 or over are urged to get a COVID-19 booster shot by the CDC and FDA.
December 27
The CDC announces that the recommend isolation period for people infected with COVID is being reduced to five days, followed by five days of wearing a mask around others if they are asymptomatic or their symptoms are resolving.
The agency also updated its guidance on the quarantine period for people exposed to an infected person. For these individuals, the recommendation was to wear a mask around others for 10 days and get tested on the fifth day if they had been vaccinated with the past six months. For unvaccinated people who came into contact with an infected person, the agency recommend five days of quarantine followed by five days of mask use.
2022
January 5
ACIP recommends people aged 12 to 17 get a booster shot five months after their initial two doses of the Pfizer-BioNTech vaccine.
March 29
The CDC and FDA recommend a second booster of the mRNA vaccines for certain high risk groups four months after their previous booster dose.
The CDC also recommends adults who received their initial shot and a booster dose of the Johnson & Johnson vaccine to get a second booster with one of the mRNA vaccines.
June 18
ACIP recommends the Moderna and Pfizer-BioNTech vaccines for all children aged 6 months to 5 years, meaning everyone 6 months and older is now eligible for COVID vaccination in the United States.
Uncommon Knowledge
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Newsweek is committed to challenging conventional wisdom and finding connections in the search for common ground.
About the writer
Aristos is a Newsweek science reporter with the London, U.K., bureau. He reports on science and health topics, including; animal, ... Read more
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