In conversations with Chris Ryan, Dr. Rochelle Walensky, the Director of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, discusses Fenway Park allowing full capacity; how the return to normal activities will come more slowly in other parts of the country; and Alex Cora, the manager of the Boston Red Sox, reflects on how he has been affected by the COVID pandemic.
Dr. Rochelle Walensky, the Director of the CDC, and her family live in Newton, MA; and she was delighted to throw out the first pitch at Saturday’s game. Prior to her appointment as CDC Director in December 2020, Dr. Walensky served on the board of directors of Mass General Brigham and was the co-director of the Medical Practice Evaluation Center at Massachusetts General Hospital.
In the interview, Dr. Walensky contrasts the difficult decisions to close events, schools, and businesses which needed to be made as the numbers of COVID cases were mounting last spring with the enjoyment of reopening of venues like Fenway Park and the TD Garden.
“It’s been a really long year, and we’ve seen some really dark times. The future is so bright, and I’m super excited to be here. It was truly an honor to be here, and I’m thrilled that we’re back where we are right now.”
According to Dr. Walensky, other parts of the country may reopen more slowly than Massachusetts because different communities have lower vaccination rates and, perhaps, higher disease rates. Dr. Walensky emphasized that the key to returning to normal was for 70% of the population to be vaccinated.
As Director of the CDC, Dr. Walensky isn’t quite ready to declare victory over COVID, but she is cautiously optimistic. She is concerned that there are areas in the world that are really struggling with COVID, and there is the possibility of variants of the Coronavirus reaching our shores.
“No one is safe until everyone is safe.”
Alex Cora was rehired as Manager of the Red Sox in November of 2020, so he didn’t have to deal with last year’s COVID restrictions as a manager. Instead, Alex Cora was home with his family in Puerto Rico and coping with the same fears and issues that we all faced.
As the Fenway Park is now allowing full capacity, Alex Cora is excited about what this means for the fans, and he is thankful for the excellent work of the Red Sox trainers who have had the dual responsibilities of dealing with the usual problems related to keeping athletes physically ready to play major league baseball while monitoring the many MLB required COVID protocols.