Biden’s transition adds new members to coronavirus task force

President elect Joe bidenJoe BidenBiden adds voting margin on Trump after Milwaukee County recount Krebs says allegations of foreign interference in 2020 election are ‘sham’ New Justice Department rule could allow executions by electrocution, firing squad MORE announced Saturday that it will add three new members to its transition team’s coronavirus task force as the incoming administration focuses on preparing to face the coronavirus pandemic.

The transition said in a statement that Jane Hopkins, Jill Jim and David Michaels will join the team, which is co-chaired by David Kessler, a former Surgeon General. Vivek MurthyVivek Hallegere MurthyBiden’s team to start receiving COVID-19 reports Five House Democrats Who Could Join Biden’s Cabinet Fauci Says He Hasn’t Spoken To Biden: He Doesn’t Want To ‘Put Me In A Compromised Position’ MORE and Marcella Nunez-Smith. The task force is charged with assisting Biden, vice president-elect Kamala harrisKamala Harris Kamala Harris Calls Nurse on Thanksgiving to Express Gratitude in Fighting COVID-19 Trump Campaign Loses Appeal Over Pennsylvania Race Memo: Biden Faces a Rocky Road in Pledge to Heal the Nation MORE and the transition improvise a “robust and aggressive response to contain the virus.”

“As COVID-19 emerges across the country, I need a team to advise me and a transition that offers diverse perspectives and points of view. Ms. Hopkins, Dr. Jim, and Dr. Michaels will strengthen the work of the board and help ensure that our COVID-19 planning addresses inequalities in health outcomes and the workforce, ”said Biden.

Hopkins, an immigrant from Sierra Leone, has worked for more than 20 years as a family nurse and has a long history in union work, a choice that seems to reflect Biden’s emphasis on appealing to labor groups. He also received the Black Lives Matter Award from the SEIU Washington State AFRAM Caucus.

Jim is the executive director of the Navajo Nation Health Department and has worked for 18 years in federal, state and non-profit agencies and tribal governments, where she has focused primarily on preventing chronic diseases and addressing health inequalities among Native Americans and Alaska Natives.

Michaels is an epidemiologist and professor at the George Washington University Milken Institute School of Public Health. He also served as undersecretary of labor for occupational safety and health during the Obama administration.

The task force was first implemented earlier this month and has taken the lead in Biden’s transition to devise a plan to address a number of issues related to the pandemic, including reinforcing testing and contact tracing. and the distribution of a possible vaccine.

The additions to the team come amid an alarming increase in COVID-19 cases across the country. There have been more than 12.9 million confirmed cases in the US since the pandemic began, and the cases are increasing by more than 100,000 per day.

Almost 256,000 people in the United States have died.