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ANALYSIS: Addressing the health, economic and social crises triggered by the coronavirus pandemic is the first order of business for US President-elect Joe Biden and his transition team.
Biden announced this week that his bipartisan coronavirus task force will begin work immediately and will continue after he is sworn in as president in January.
The task force inherits a variety of challenges. Coronavirus is now rampant in the United States, and the Trump Administration has depleted public health infrastructure and largely abandoned attempts to control the pandemic, preferring to bet on the imminent arrival of a vaccine.
What will Biden inherit?
Carolyn Kaster / AP
US President-elect Joe Biden has announced a Covid-19 task force.
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The pandemic in the United States is now described as out of control. Hospitals in many states are overwhelmed, the economy is in turmoil, and unemployment rates are double what they were in February.
The urgency of the problem is highlighted in forecasts released last week by the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. They predict that in the week ending November 28, there will be 450,000 to 960,000 new cases of coronavirus and 4,600 to 11,000 deaths from Covid.
Even these stark warnings can be overly optimistic. As of November 8, the US averaged 116,448 new cases per day. So far, more than 10 million Americans have been infected, and a significant number remain disabled with long-term side effects. The situation will undoubtedly be much worse when Biden is sworn in on January 20.
Who is part of the Covid working group and what will they do?
Biden’s coronavirus task force is led by three physicians: Vivek Murthy, former US surgeon general David Kessler, former commissioner of the Food and Drug Administration; and Marcella Nunez-Smith, who is recognized for her work promoting health and equity in health care for underserved populations. They are all well known in public health, science and policy circles.
Chip Somodevilla / Getty Images
Anthony Fauci, director of the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases, listens to President Donald Trump speak.
Biden said in his acceptance speech that these leading experts “will help take the Biden-Harris Covid plan and turn it into an action plan … That plan will be based on basic science … I will spare no effort, none, or any commitment, to reverse this pandemic. “
The task force will build on several months of consultations and will work under the auspices of the Biden campaign.
Biden’s coronavirus plan, issued during the campaign, is a comprehensive document that recognizes the responsibilities of the federal government to ensure that states, counties, local communities, incarceration and health care facilities, education systems, and individuals have the protections, the resources and information needed to address the pandemic. Particular emphasis is placed on addressing racial and ethnic disparities highlighted by the pandemic.
The task force must reach out to the states, both Democrats and Republicans, as the Biden plan builds on their cooperation with new federal initiatives. These include potential mask mandates, supply chains for personal protective equipment, testing supplies, therapies, vaccines, and needed additional healthcare services.
Straight to business
The task force has already briefed Biden and Vice President-elect Kamala Harris. Biden then issued a public statement on November 9, detailing his plans to address the pandemic and rebuild the economy.
His statement coincided with news from Pfizer about promising test results for its coronavirus vaccine. Biden’s response was one of cautious optimism, in stark contrast to President Donald Trump, who exaggerated the stock market implications.
How will the task force work with the White House team?
The work of the task force is unlikely to trample on the toes of the White House coronavirus advisory group, which has largely stopped working as Trump has lost interest.
Trump lashed out at Anthony Fauci, director of the US National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases, and threatened to fire him.
Former senior spokesperson for the White House coronavirus advisory group, Deborah Birx, has issued an urgent memo calling for “much more aggressive action” to curb the virus.
Trump now only listens to controversial Scott Atlas, a specialist in medical imaging rather than infectious disease.
The Trump Administration’s approach to the pandemic in recent months is succinctly summed up by White House Chief of Staff Mark Meadows: “We are not going to control the pandemic.”
This is ironic in light of Meadows’ own infection, joining Trump and many other members of the White House in having contracted the coronavirus.
What else happens during this transition period?
In 2008, the outgoing Bush Administration was ready to receive advice and guidance from the Obama transition team on efforts to address the global financial crisis. In particular, Bush accepted Obama’s request to ask Congress to release more funds for the bailout.
Biden will now push for the Senate to pass a sorely needed coronavirus relief bill. This would include additional unemployment benefits and funding increases for treatment, testing and tracing, and for the education and health systems.
House Democratic Speaker Nancy Pelosi and Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell recently expressed interest in passing such a measure, but they disagree with the scope of the legislation.
Could Biden’s input help them find common ground, or will partisanship prevail?
Many issues need to be addressed at once
The Biden-Harris team will need to work on these issues and many others simultaneously. Biden must, in no time, announce his cabinet and have them work on their agendas; assess which of Trump’s actions should be undone (including the withdrawal of the World Health Organization and the Paris climate agreement); develop legislation and executive orders if you cannot get the Senate to work cooperatively and pass bills that come up from the House of Representatives; and have a contingency plan in case the U.S. Supreme Court overturns Obamacare in 2021.
Biden’s transition team has many people who previously worked for the Obama administration. This bodes well for strengthening and rebuilding Obamacare at Bidencare. Ensuring that people have affordable access to health care has never been more important.
Biden also promised to restore the national and international public health and first aid systems that Trump dismantled. This includes regaining the Directorate for Global Health Security and Biodefense from the White House National Security Council and continued support for the work of the World Health Organization.
None of this will succeed unless and until Biden can rally Congress to act and simultaneously begin to heal divisions in the nation. It must restore trust in government and science, ensure transparency and accountability, and build a common purpose for people to act for the common good. That’s a big question, but the coronavirus pandemic demands it.
Lesley Russell is Adjunct Associate Professor at the Menzies Center for Health Policy at the University of Sydney.
This article is republished from The Conversation under a Creative Commons license. Read the original article.
