Two senior officials of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention resigned from their positions amid the global pandemic and as the country continues to experience the devastation of COVID-19.

CDC
(Photo : Reutersconnect)

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention is playing a significant role in the country amid the global pandemic. The agency regularly updates and issues guidelines to ensure that everyone is updated about the latest discoveries regarding the virus. 

However, two senior officials in the agency resigned from their positions on Friday. They are CDC chief of staff Kyle McGowan and deputy chief of staff Amanda Campbell. President Donald Trump appointed them to become part of the CDC. 

A spokesperson of the agency said, "I can confirm Kyle McGowan and Amanda Campbell are no longer with the agency. Effective Monday, August 17, Nina Witkofsky will serve as acting CDC chief of staff, and Trey Moeller will serve as acting deputy chief of staff."

Meanwhile, McGowan and Campbell clarified that they were not terminated or someone forced them to leave their posts. In a recently published article in the news outlet POLITICO, they said they are going to start a consulting business. 

McGowan added that he had planned to leave the agency before the global pandemic to start the business. However, he was stuck in the agency because of the need to help the CDC as the country faced the worst pandemic in the century. 

Moreover, in a recently published article in The Hill, McGowan said, "We picked this day on the calendar and left to start our own business. No one has asked us to leave. No one has forced us to leave. We're to a point where I feel comfortable leaving."  

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention has been instrumental to at least control the spread of the virus in the country. At the same time, the agency has also received mountainous criticisms because of its effort to combat the global pandemic.

Many lawmakers and health experts in the country criticized the agency and somehow questioned the leadership of CDC Director Dr. Robert Redfield. The critics claimed that the agency has struggled to present a strategy that will flatten the curve effectively. 

However, it cannot also be denied that the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention has regular updates and issues new guidelines about the virus. In fact, the CDC recently updated the guidelines on the quarantine period for those who are in the recovery period. 

As of today, the United States still leads the world with the highest number of infections and deaths. According to the official tallied data of Johns Hopkins Coronavirus Resource Center, the United States has recorded more than 5.5 million infections and with a death toll of over 172,000.

Additionally, CDC Director Robert Redfield warned early this week that the country could experience the worst fall in history as the virus continues to devastate the country and with the flu season approaching. This means that more people will experience flu, which is a COVID-19 symptom.

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