CDC director is urging people to wear masks indoors and on public transit, raising alarms about the ‘tridemic’ - The Philadelphia Inquirer

Rochelle Walensky spoke at a health summit in Philadelphia on Tuesday.

Federal and local health departments must invest in better data tracking technology to quickly respond to viral outbreaks, such as COVID-19 and the ”tridemic” of influenza, RSV, and COVID currently straining hospitals, CDC Director Rochelle Walensky said in Philadelphia on Tuesday.

Walensky’s remarks at the Bloomberg American Health Summit, held at Loews Hotel Philadelphia, came a day after she urged Americans during a CDC news conference to be proactive in protecting themselves and others by wearing a mask indoors and on public transportation.

On Tuesday, Walensky focused on what the CDC and public health agencies can do to be better prepared for future outbreaks — namely, modernizing data-gathering operations.

The CDC has struggled to gather standardized data about firearms-related injuries and deaths, diabetes, and hypertension, among other health concerns, Walensky said.