Wayne County Public Health

Trust in public health officials

There have been reports suggesting the CDC’s reputation has been diminished as a result of its role in the COVID-19 response. Is the CDC’s leadership still credible?

For decades, the CDC has put its scientific expertise to work to protect Americans from infectious disease, chronic illness, and preventable injuries. Around the world, the agency is a trusted source for public health and health promotion guidance; the CDC’s career staff remain a respected and credible information source.

The CDC is at its best when its scientists are free to provide public health advice based on the best available data and free of any political or non-scientific considerations.

There’s no avoiding the fact that the COVID-19 pandemic has been extremely challenging for the entire country, including the CDC. There was an early misstep at the CDC with the initial development of a COVID-19 test. However, since then CDC has gathered and shared data on the pandemic’s impact, produced educational materials, distributed billions of dollars in grant funding to local, state, tribal, and territorial agencies, and supported essential services necessary for testing, contact tracing, and protection of the public.

During the initial response, the CDC did not have the central and visible roles in coordinating and messaging during the COVID-19 pandemic that it had during past infectious disease outbreaks, including malaria, HIV, H1N1, Ebola, and Zika. This lack of a central, public-facing role for the CDC impeded the federal response, contributed to mixed messaging on the optimal response to the pandemic, and delayed and sometimes distorted the guidance needed by the American public.

That has changed. The CDC has been empowered to take a central role in developing guidance and messaging and coordinating the national response. Everyone benefits when the CDC is allowed to do its job without interference and with regular, unfettered science-based messaging offered directly to the public and policymakers. Under the new leadership, the thousands of rank-and-file CDC employees scientists and public health experts dedicated only to the protection of the public are leading the day in and day out work necessary to fight the virus.

Going forward, the nation needs to ensure that science guides public health without any interference. When statements are made or policies suggested that are not grounded in science, public health experts need to continue to say so.

Updated May 5, 2023

Why should people trust public health officials?

Public health officials are trained and experienced in responding to infectious disease outbreaks and life-threatening emergencies. They work closely with scientists and researchers to translate the latest findings into action with the express goal of keeping people as safe and healthy as possible.

Public health officials strive to be guided by science and independent of political or partisan considerations. The most effective way to address COVID-19 is to have state, local, and federal officials working in coordination and operating based on scientific guidance.

What is a public health official’s most important role during a health emergency?

As always, the role of public health officials is to follow the science, develop programs and guidelines that protect health, advise elected officials, work with public and private sector partners, and keep the public informed.

updated May 5, 2023

How do I know the COVID-19 vaccines are safe?

The COVID-19 vaccines have received the most intense safety monitoring in U.S. history, which has allowed public health officials to make science-based recommendations that keep people safe.

All COVID-19 vaccines have been rigorously tested and reviewed. The vaccine’s clinical trials three-phase process was detailed and thorough, and no shortcuts were taken. More than 150,000 people participated in U.S. clinical trials of the vaccines, and now, hundreds of millions of vaccine doses in the U.S. have been safely administered. Data from trial will continue to be collected for two years after each vaccine is first administered to ensure that they are safe for the long term. As with all vaccines, there will be ongoing monitoring for adverse events among people who are vaccinated into the future.

Updated May 5, 2023

How was the vaccine developed so quickly?

It may seem like the vaccines were developed quickly, but the process included rigorous safety reviews required for all new vaccines. The urgency of the pandemic created greater access to research funding, reduced bureaucratic obstacles, and encouraged unparalleled levels of government and industry cooperation. With these supports in place, scientists built upon previous work on coronavirus vaccines and on mRNA vaccine technology to develop these new vaccines quickly and effectively.

Updated May 5, 2023

What does it mean to be up to date on the COVID-19 vaccine?

In order to be considered up to date on your COVID-19 vaccine, everyone 6 years and older should receive 1 updated Pfizer-BioNTech or Moderna COVID-19 vaccine, regardless of whether they’ve received any of the COVID-19 vaccines from the original series. 

As the science and the virus evolve, so does our understanding of what it means to be up to date.  Scientists and medical experts continue to closely watch for signs of waning vaccine immunity over time, how well the vaccines protect against new variants of the virus, and how that data differs across the population. COVID-19 vaccination recommendations will be updated by officals when needed. 

Updated May 5, 2023 

I already had COVID-19—why do I still need the vaccine?

Not enough is yet known about how long immunity from natural COVID-19 illness might last, and evidence is emerging that vaccination provides protection even in people who have had COVID-19.

One study, for example, showed that unvaccinated people who have had COVID-19 are still twice as likely as vaccinated people to get COVID-19 again. For that reason, even if you have already had COVID-19, vaccination is an important step to protect yourself and those around you.

Updated May 5, 2023

Am I permanently immune after getting vaccinated? What about breakthrough infections?

While COVID-19 vaccines are highly effective, no vaccine provides 100% immunity. Because this is a new virus, scientists and medical experts continue to monitor how long immunity lasts, whether some groups may need additional doses, and how well the vaccines protect against new variants of the virus.

Data continue to show that the COVID-19 vaccines are extremely effective in protecting fully vaccinated people from catching and spreading the virus, including the various variants. A small percentage of vaccinated people experience breakthrough cases, but they are much more likely to have milder symptoms than unvaccinated people with COVID-19.

Unvaccinated people continue to account for the vast majority of severe cases, hospitalizations, and deaths from COVID-19. CDC data show that in February 2023, the risk of dying from COVID-19 in the U.S. was 6 times less likely for those vaccinated with the updated COVID-19 vaccine than those who were unvaccinated.

The risk of severe illness from COVID-19 is increased for some groups — including older adults, people with underlying medical conditions, immunocompromised people, and pregnant or recently pregnant people. If you have questions about your risk of COVID-19, how to protect yourself from COVID-19, or about the vaccines, speak to your health provider.

Updated May 5, 2023

What is the risk of having an adverse reaction to the vaccine?

The threat of COVID-19 is real and urgent, and getting vaccinated is the best way to protect yourself. Side effects to the COVID-19 vaccines are typically mild and subside in one to two days — like soreness in the arm, fatigue, headaches, or a slight fever.

The risk of having a serious adverse reaction to the COVID-19 vaccine is very low — far lower than the risk of contracting COVID-19. The CDC and FDA are closely monitoring vaccine outcomes to ensure safety.

If you have a question about the vaccines, talk with your healthcare provider.

Updated May 5, 2023

What is emergency use authorization, and why aren’t all of the COVID-19 vaccines FDA-approved?

Emergency use authorization (EUA) allows the FDA to authorize the use of yet-to-be-approved drugs, or unapproved uses of approved drugs, often in emergency situations when there are no other prevention or treatment options. The FDA issued EUAs for the Pfizer, Moderna and Johnson & Johnson vaccines, and has now issued full approval for the Pfizer COVID-19 vaccine. Additionally, EUAs were issued by the FDA for the Pfizer and Moderna updated COVID-19 bivalent booster vaccines that are being recommended.  

In an emergency when lives are at risk, like a pandemic, it may not be possible to gather all the evidence that the FDA would usually require before approving a vaccine or drug. If evidence strongly suggests patients have benefited from a treatment, the FDA can issue an EUA to make it available to the public. For the COVID-19 vaccines, the FDA required two months of safety and efficacy data before the EUA was granted, including clinical trials with tens of thousands of people and rigorous testing and review. Compared to EUA, full FDA approval of vaccines requires even more data on safety, manufacturing, and effectiveness over longer periods of time. All the vaccines continue to be closely monitored.

The Pfizer COVID-19 vaccine was the first vaccine to have the necessary data to receive EUA, and it was the first to have enough data to receive full approval (read more about FDA approval here). Moderna has also submitted an application for full approval of its COVID-19 vaccine, and the FDA is currently reviewing those data. For the time being, the Moderna and Johnson & Johnson vaccines will continue to be safely administered through emergency use authorization.

Updated May 8, 2023