President Elect Joe Biden Announces His Health Team, Indian Origin Surgeon Vivek Murthy To Reprise His Role Again

The health team, will be headed by California Attorney General Xavier Becerra as Health Secretary and includes Indian-origin former Surgeon General of the US Vivek Murthy.

File Image: AP/PTI Photo

President-Elect of the United States of America Joe Biden, on Monday, announced the team of top health officials. This comes after President Donald Trump has cleared the way for a smooth and swift transition of the administration, by allowing the use of federal resources.

Key Members

The health team will be headed by California Attorney General Xavier Becerra as Health Secretary and includes Indian-origin former Surgeon General of the US Vivek Murthy. Becerra would be tasked with leading Biden's fight to contain the virus, including the massive logistical operation that will be required to quickly distribute the coming vaccines to the U.S. population. If confirmed by the Senate, Becerra, 62, would be the first Latino to head the Department of Health and Human Services. The President-Elect has chosen Rochelle Walensky, the chief of infectious diseases at Massachusetts General Hospital, to serve as next director of the Center for Disease Control and Prevention. Former Surgeon General Vivek Murthy, who served during the last three years of Obama’s administration will reprise the role again. Anthony Fauci, who has served as director of the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases since 1984, will act as Biden's chief medical adviser. Marcella Nunez-Smith, an associate professor of medicine and epidemiology at the Yale School of Medicine, where she is also Associate Dean for Health Equity Research and founding director of the Equity Research and Innovation Center, will serve as COVID-19 Equity Task Force Chair. Jeff Zients, who served as the director of the US National Economic Council, Office of Management and Budget and the first Chief performance of the United States, during the Presidency of Barack Obama, has been named as the "Coordinator of the COVID-19 Response.

US Presidential Elections 2020

In the US Presidential Elections of 2020, which took place amid the Covid-19 pandemic, Joe Biden with vice-President nominee Kamala Harris won the electoral college vote and the popular vote against President Donald Trump. Joe Biden, the Democratic nominee with Kamala Harris as his deputy, won by securing 306 electoral college votes and 81,284,062 popular votes, Donald Trump secured 232 votes from the electoral college, and 74,221,849 popular votes.

Controversy after the elections  

After the results came in favor of Biden, President Trump went to the court, alleging the Democratic nominee of rigging the elections. Later, Trump acknowledged Biden's victory in a tweet on November 15, although he refused to concede and blamed his loss on fraud. "He won because the Election was Rigged," Trump said in a tweet. Donald Trump is yet to concede.