Washington: Indian-American Dr Vivek Murthy, a former US Surgeon General, has been named one of three co-chairs of the COVID-19 Advisory Board to aid President-elect Joe Biden and Vice President-elect Kamala Harris.
Murthy will chair the COVID-19 task force with David Kessler and Dr Marcella Nunez, Biden’s deputy campaign manager Kate Bedingfield said.
They will lead a team of top public health experts that will guide Biden on dealing with the coronavirus pandemic, PTI reported.
US is the world’s worst-hit nation by the pandemic, with the coronavirus claiming over 236,000 lives.
“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.
“The advisory board will help shape my approach to managing the surge in reported infections; ensuring vaccines are safe, effective, and distributed efficiently, equitably, and free; and protecting at-risk populations,” the President-elect added.
Dr Beth Cameron and Dr Rebecca Katz are serving as advisors to the Transition on COVID-19 and will work intimately with the Advisory Board, the Biden-Harris transition team informed.
Murthy served as the 19th Surgeon General of the United States from 2014-2017.
