Biden deploys COVID-19 advisory committee

Washington – President-elect Joe Biden announced on Monday the team of public health experts and scientists who will guide him, along with Vice President-elect Kamala Harris, to respond to the Coronavirus pandemic.

The COVID-19 advisory committee includes 13 doctors and scientists and will be chaired by Dr David Kessler, former Commissioner of the Food and Drug Administration, Dr Vivek Murthy, former US surgeon general, and Dr Marcella Nunez-Smith, professor at Yale University. Other members of the working group include Dr Rick Bright, former head of the Biomedical Advanced Research and Development Authority (BARDA), Dr Ezekiel Emanuel and Dr Atul Gawande.

Bright, a vaccine expert, was removed from his post as director of BARDA earlier this year and filed a whistleblower complaint describing the Trump administration’s missteps in handling the coronavirus. He claimed senior administration officials ignored warnings about the virus and retaliated against him after opposing the COVID-19 treatments touted by President Trump.

“Dealing with the coronavirus pandemic is one of the most important battles our administration will face, and I will be informed by science and by experts,” Biden said in a statement announcing the panel.. “The advisory committee will help shape my approach to managing the outbreak of reported infections; ensuring that vaccines are safe, effective and distributed effectively, equitably and free of charge; and protecting populations at risk.

Coronavirus cases are increasing in more than three dozen states and the number of confirmed infections in the United States is approaching 10 million, according to Johns Hopkins University. More than 237,000 people have died from coronavirus in the United States

After being screened as the White House winner on Saturday, Mr Biden said one of his first actions as president-elect would be to appoint his own coronavirus task force to help prepare his administration to fight pandemic once he takes office on January 20. .

Mr Biden formed a public health advisory committee in March and continued to receive briefings on the pandemic throughout the election.

The president-elect and vice-president-elect are expected to receive their first briefing from the new advisory board on Monday morning, after which Mr Biden is expected to deliver remarks on COVID-19.