Among the first orders of business, according to the agency, is upgrading data collection that has hobbled decision making and clearing up messaging that has confused many.

Yet the steps may not be enough to fix problems at the nation’s premier public-health agency exposed by the pandemic. And the CDC may not have much time, as a new variant could emerge after Omicron crests…

On Tuesday, the Democratic and Republican leaders of the Senate’s health committee released a bipartisan plan to revamp the CDC and improve the U.S. response to future pandemics. Under the draft legislation, the government would set up a task force to probe the U.S. response to the pandemic, improve public-health data collection and require the CDC director to be confirmed by the Senate.

Tom Frieden, who was CDC director from 2009 to 2017, said he hopes more regular briefings and including subject-matter experts will help restore confidence.

“Little by little they have to rebuild trust. It’s not enough to get things right, you have to get things right and explain how you got things right and got the answer you did,” said Dr. Frieden, who is now president of Resolve to Save Lives, a nonprofit dealing with epidemic preparedness.