President-elect Joe Biden revealed on Monday health promotion roles that would guide his federal actions to the coronavirus disease outbreak after he takes office in January. Biden will appoint California Attorney General Xavier Becerra as Secretary of Health & Human Services and Harvard Infectious Disease Specialist Dr. Rochelle Walensky as Director of Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. “This trustworthy and experienced team of leaders will bring the highest standards of integrity, intellectual methodology, and crisis-management experience to one of the hardest challenges America has ever faced — getting the pandemic under control so that the American people can get back to work, back to normal lives, and back to their dear ones,” Biden said in a statement.
Biden said last week that Dr. Anthony Fauci will resume his position as President of the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases and will also act as Chief Medical Advisor in the incoming government. In the US, more than 282,000 people died of COVID-19, and more than 14 million cases have been reported, as per the Johns Hopkins University COVID-19 Dashboard. Once in office, Biden’s health team is likely to face continued COVID-19 spikes and be in charge of the government’s attempts to administer coronavirus vaccines. Biden also said last week that he would challenge Americans to wear surgical masks for his first 100 days in office.
Among the other promotions and appointments announced on Monday, Biden will nominate Dr. Vivek Murthy as a medical doctor. Murthy was a former surgeon general under the Obama administration and is a member of the Biden Leadership Team’s COVID-19 Advisory Board. The President-elect also named Jeff Zients as the White House Coronavirus Response Coordinator and Yale Health Specialist Dr. Marcella Nunez-Smith as Chair of the COVID-19 Equity Task Force, Biden’s State Department said.
Biden has also started to build proposals for crucial issues such as COVID-19 relief and environmental issues. But before the new administration comes to work in 2021, all will begin with the inauguration of the US Capitol in Washington DC.