The first U.S. official to raise alarms over the coronavirus will leave her position at the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention on May 14, reported The Washington Post. “My family and I have determined that now is the best time for me to transition to a new phase of my career,” Nancy Messonnier wrote in an email to colleagues that was seen by the Post. “CDC has provided me many meaningful, rewarding, and challenging opportunities to grow intellectually and mature as a public health leader.” Messonnier, who became director of the CDC’s National Center for Immunization and Respiratory Diseases in 2016, drew the ire of former President Donald Trump for warning Americans about the dangers of COVID last year as the White House desperately tried to downplay the severity of the looming pandemic. She was quickly sidelined by the administration, which removed her from public view in favor of Trump allies with rosier—but wildly off-base—forecasts.
