The new Director of the Centers for Disease Center and Prevention, Rochelle Walensky, spoke Monday about the COVID-19 pandemic. Although she talked about hope, she also warned of what she called a "worrying trajectory" of cases and deaths from the virus.
"Right now, I'm scared ... I so badly want to be done, I know you all so badly want to be done. We are just almost there, but not quite yet, and so I'm asking you to just hold on a little longer."
Walkensky spoke Monday at the White House COVID-19 Response Update along with Dr. Anthony Fauci and Andy Slavitt, White House COVID-19 response team senior advisor.
Walkensky begged the American people to get vaccinated. She explained that the U.S., not unlike many countries in Europe have a “worrying trajectory,” of increasing cases of coronavirus cases.
But, she assured the public that the nation could change the trajectory if Americans continued to follow CDC guidelines until everyone who can be vaccinated is.
She asked politicians, faith-based leaders, civic leaders, other influencers to work together to "sound the alarm, and carry these messages into your communities," in order to avoid a fourth COVID-19 surge.
"We do not have the luxury of inaction," Walensky said.
According to the briefing, 73% of seniors, 36% of adults have 50 million adults have been fully-vaccinated in the U.S.