The CDC walked back comments from its director suggesting that vaccinated people couldn't 'carry the virus'

• On Thursday, the CDC walked back claims made earlier in the week by its director.
• CDC Director Rochelle Walensky said vaccinated people do not carry the COVID-19 virus.
• After pushback from the scientific community, the CDC told The New York Times she "spoke broadly."

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention on Thursday distanced itself from comments made by its director, Rochelle Walensky, who earlier in the week suggested that vaccinated people do not carry the COVID-19 virus.

A CDC spokesperson told The New York Times that Walensky "spoke broadly" and that the evidence to support her claim "isn't clear."

"It's possible that some people who are fully vaccinated could get Covid-19. The evidence isn't clear whether they can spread the virus to others. We are continuing to evaluate the evidence," the spokesperson added.

During an MSNBC interview with Rachel Maddow on Monday, Walensky said: "Our data from the CDC today suggests that vaccinated people do not carry the virus, don't get sick. And that it's not just in the clinical trials, but it's also in real-world data."

Criticism brewed in the scientific community after Walensky's comments.

A day before the MSNBC interview, the CDC released data suggesting that people who have been fully vaccinated almost never carry the coronavirus. Walensky referenced the data during the interview.

The CDC's study released Monday specifically reported that one dose of the Moderna or Pfizer-BioNTech vaccine registered at least 80% effectiveness in preventing infection and the full two doses showed 90% effectiveness.