Coronavirus pandemic is one of those top issues which the Biden-Harris administration would like to solve soon after the swearing-in ceremony. Prior to that President-elect Joe Biden said on Thursday, December 3 that he has asked the nation's top infectious disease expert to become the chief medical adviser.
In a recent interview with CNN, Biden said he had asked Dr. Anthony Fauci to stay on in his role and to become the chief medical adviser in the incoming administration. Biden also said during the interview that he will urge Americans to wear masks for the first 100 days of Biden-Harris administration, starting from January 20, to reduce the spread of the virus.
Fauci In Biden-Harris Administration
"I asked him to stay on in the exact same role he's had for the past several presidents, and I asked him to be a chief medical adviser for me as well, and be part of the Covid team," said Biden during a CNN interview.
Ron Klain, the incoming White House chief of staff, who worked with Fauci during the Ebola outbreak, had been talking to the US infectious disease expert "all the time," revealed Biden.
Fauci has had not so pleasant relationship with President Donald Trump as both of them clashed over the White House Coronavirus pandemic response. Fauci, who has served as the director of the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases since 1984, was also critical of neurologist Scott Atlas, who has no training in the field of infectious disease but still, Trump relied on him for advice on handling the pandemic.
One of Biden's most urgent priorities after the swearing ceremony will be to contain the coronavirus pandemic, which has killed over 276,000 Americans, and to oversee the national distribution of an effective, as well as safe vaccine when one becomes available. The President-elect said that he would be happy to get his vaccine shot publicly, as a way to encourage more trust in the vaccine.
After becoming the President-elect Biden first announced a 12-member coronavirus advisory board to guide him during the transition involving healthcare experts. Biden's COVID-19 task force included Dr. David Kessler, the former commissioner of the FDA, former US Surgeon General Dr. Vivek Murthy.
100 Days with Mask
Biden's plan of 100 days with masks to stop the spread of the virus inside the country, which has reported more than 14 million cases as of Friday, December 4, made many people talking about the move on social media.
President Trump's own belief against the mask-wearing made it a political issue, while Biden emphasized the practice as a "patriotic duty". Even healthcare experts kept saying that wearing a mask is one of the easiest ways to manage the pandemic.
Biden during the recent interview said that "just 100 days to mask, not forever, 100 days. And I think we'll see a significant reduction," said added that he would use his authority to require masks in the federal building and interstate transportation on airplanes and buses.
