Biden COVID Task Force Launched... Includes Officials Removed During Trump Administration

The First Appointments of the Transition Team Focus on COVID-19 Response
Biden to Deliver Speech Today on Virus Eradication and Economic Reconstruction

President-elect Joe Biden is holding a video conference with the COVID-19 task force.
[Image source=Reuters Yonhap News]

[Asia Economy New York=Correspondent Baek Jong-min] The transition team of President-elect Joe Biden announced the participants of the COVID-19 task force (TF) on the 9th (local time), kicking off efforts to overcome the coronavirus pandemic.

On the same day, Pfizer and BioNTech announced that their COVID-19 vaccine in development showed 90% effectiveness, spreading hope for overcoming the pandemic.

The TF is co-chaired by Vivek Murthy, who served as Surgeon General of the Public Health Service Commissioned Corps (PHSCC) during the Barack Obama administration; David Kessler, former FDA commissioner under the George HW Bush and Bill Clinton administrations; and Dr. Marcella Nunez-Smith of Yale University.

The 13-member TF includes Rick Bright, former director of the Biomedical Advanced Research and Development Authority (BARDA) at the Department of Health and Human Services, who was sidelined after raising concerns about the Trump administration's COVID-19 response and subsequently resigned.

Also included are Dr. Luciana Borio, senior fellow for global health at the Council on Foreign Relations who led the medical and biodefense preparedness team at the National Security Council (NSC) until last year, and Dr. Ezekiel Emanuel, architect of the 'Obamacare' and former health advisor to President Obama.

Others appointed include Dr. Atul Gawande, professor at Harvard Medical School; Dr. Michael Osterholm, director of the Center for Infectious Disease Research and Policy at the University of Minnesota; Dr. Eric Goosby, former global AIDS coordinator under the Obama administration and professor at the University of California medical school; Dr. Celine Gounder, assistant professor at NYU Grossman School of Medicine; and Julie Morita, vice president of the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation.

President-elect Biden said in a statement, "The pandemic is one of the most important battles our administration will face," adding, "We will be guided by science and experts."

He emphasized, "This advisory group will help shape my approach to managing surges in infections, ensuring vaccine safety and efficacy, efficient and equitable free distribution, and protecting those at risk."

After receiving a briefing from the COVID-19 advisory group on the same day, Biden will deliver a speech on virus eradication and plans to rebuild the U.S. economy.

This TF is the first appointment announced since the launch of the Biden transition team. It reaffirms Biden's commitment to prioritizing COVID-19 response throughout the election period. Previously, the transition team listed four top priorities for the Biden administration on its website the day before: COVID-19, economic recovery, racial equity, and climate change.

This content was produced with the assistance of AI translation services.