CDC 3 items: Eye on possible surges, under scrutinity and makes changes

CDC to remain vigilant for case spikes after new mask guidance CDC Director Rochelle Walensky is facing criticism for moving too quickly on updating mask guidance for vaccinated Americans. Anjalee Khemlani Yahoo

Criticisms abound for the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) after it changed its mask guidance Thursday to allow vaccinated individuals to go maskless in most settings. 

The pivot, days after CDC Director Dr. Rochelle Walensky told a Senate panel it was still not safe to remove masks, is viewed by some experts as hasty.

Walensky told Yahoo Finance Monday that she is aware of all the criticisms, but believes the agency is providing data as it becomes available.

"Quite honestly, what I really need to do is make sure that we are going at the speed of the science. And that's what I told the American people I would do, and that's what I'm doing," she said.

The science, as late as Friday, has begun to show how that the vaccines are working more effectively than previously expected, including against variants, Walensky said.

Walensky emphasized the latest guidance "doesn't say rip off your mask on Friday. It says take the information ... and use it as you think about how you might open your business, your community, your house of worship, and in your school."