Indian – origin American, Dr Vivek Murthy, a distinguished physician and ex- Vice Admiral in the Public Health Service Commissioned Corps has been appointed for the position of Surgeon General in elected US President Joe Biden’s team for health to lead the Covid-19 response team.
As per an official statement, “Dr Murthy was previously confirmed by the Senate to serve in the same capacity, holding the post as ‘America’s Doctor’ during 2014 and 2017. A trusted national voice on health issues and a long time advisor to President elect Biden, he currently serves as co-chair of President-elect’s COVID-19 transition Advisory Board.”
The statement further added, “As ‘America’s Doctor’, Dr Murthy helped lead the national response to a range of health challenges, including the Ebola and Zika viruses, the opioid crisis, and the growing threat of stress and loneliness to American’s physical and mental wellbeing.”
Apart from Dr Vivek Murthy being appointed as Surgeon General, the other key nominations include Becerra as Secretary of Health and Human Services, Dr Rochelle Walensky as Director of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, Dr Marcella Nunez-Smith as COVID-19 Equity Task Force Chair.
The statement iterated that Dr Anthony Fauci, will continue his role as the Director of the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases and ex-White House and Pentagon senior advisor Natalie Quilman will be given the responsibility of Deputy Coordinator of COVID-19 response.
President-elect Joe Biden said, “This trusted and accomplished team of leaders will bring the highest level of integrity, scientific rigour, and crisis-management experience to one of the toughest challenges America has ever faced — getting the pandemic under control so that the American people can get back to work, back to their lives and back to their loved ones.”
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