The Biden administration lost one of its top officials this week.

According to the Washington Examiner, Rochelle Walensky, director of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), announced her resignation.

Notably, her resignation announcement came shortly after the World Health Organization (WHO) downgraded the pandemic from its former "global emergency" status.

Walensky used the winding down of the pandemic as her primary reasoning for stepping down, after facing years of intense scrutiny and criticism for her handling of it.

White House responds

President Joe Biden, unsurprisingly, accepted her resignation and praised Walensky for her work at the CDC throughout the pandemic.

"Dr. Walensky has saved lives with her steadfast and unwavering focus on the health of every American. As Director of the CDC, she led a complex organization on the frontlines of a once-in-a-generation pandemic with honesty and integrity," Biden said.

The president added: "She marshalled our finest scientists and public health experts to turn the tide on the urgent crises we’ve faced."

"Dr. Walensky leaves CDC a stronger institution, better positioned to confront health threats and protect Americans. We have all benefited from her service and dedication to public health, and I wish her the best in her next chapter."

The Examiner noted:

Walensky, 54, served as CDC director for a little over two years. Her last day will be June 30. An interim director has not yet been named, and she sent her resignation to Biden in a letter.

"I have never been prouder of anything I have done in my professional career," Walensky reportedly said in her resignation letter, though she added that she had "mixed feelings" regarding her decision to step down from the high-level government post.

Social media reacts

Walensky's exit announcement was widely celebrated across social media this week, with many calling into question a number of leadership failures on her part.

"Soon-to-be former CDC Director Walensky said this about her resignation: “We made this world a safer place, I have never been prouder of anything I have done in my professional career.” Proving she’s out of touch with reality and unwilling to admit her long list of failures," one Twitter user wrote.

"Resigning doesn't mean you are not responsible for what you said or did during your time at the CDC," another Twitter user wrote.

Running the CDC was Walensky's first experience running a government health agency. Many hope it's her last.