US President-elect Joe Biden to announce 12-member COVID-19 response task force

US President-elect Joe Biden is all set to announce a 12-member COVID-19 task force on Monday in order to fulfil the promise he made to the citizens during his campaign, to ensure an improved and effective response to the coronavirus pandemic. Citing sources, Axios reported that the coronavirus task force will be co-chaired by former Surgeon General Vivek Murthy, former Food and Drug Administration Commissioner David Kessler as well as a professor of public health at Yale University, Dr Marcella Nunez-Smith along with former Obama administration health advisor Ezekiel Emanuel. Biden will be briefed by the co-chairs after the announcement regarding the COVID-19 task force and its members is made on Monday, the report adds. COVID-19 has not only infected millions of people in the United States, but it has also taken a toll on the economy of the country. 

Biden promises effective COVID-19 response

Throughout his campaign, Joe Biden promised a much better and effective response to the coronavirus pandemic as compared to President Donald Trump. Biden had earlier said that the COVID-19 situation in the country is 'skyrocketing' during his late-night address. He further promised to put together a plan to deal with the pandemic on 'day one' itself. Joe Biden also informed that he held a meeting with experts to discuss public health and economic crisis in the US along with Kamala Harris. 

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"I want people to know we are not waiting to get to work. I want everyone to know that on Day One, we are going to put our plan to control this virus into action. That can't save any of the lives that have been lost, but it will save a lot of lives in the months ahead. Yesterday, I had a meeting with groups of experts on public health and economy along with Senator Kamala Harris. We were informed about how the recovery is slowing because of the failure to get the pandemic under control," said President-elect Joe Biden. 

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He added, "The death toll is approaching 240,000 lives lost to this virus. That's 240,000 empty chairs at the kitchen and dinner tables across America. We'll never be able to measure all the pain, the loss, and the suffering so many families have experienced. I know how it feels to lose someone you love, and I want them to know they're not alone. Our hearts break with you."

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"We have serious problems to deal with — from COVID to our economy to racial justice to the climate. We don't have any more time to waste on partisan warfare. And more than that. We have such an incredible opportunity to build the future we want for our kids and grandkids," Biden further added. 

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The United States of America remains the worst-hit country across the world as COVID-19 killed aver 2,36,000 people and infected over 9 million people. Speaking about the economic crisis in the United States, Biden informed that over 20 million people are unemployed while millions have to worry about earning just enough to get by and survive. He also spoke about an economic plan that will allow US to get on a 'path to a strong recovery'. 

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(With inputs from PTI)