Indian-origin public health expert Dr Ashish Jha will take over as President Joe Biden’s Covid Response Coordinator from next month. The White House announced this on Thursday. Biden’s Covid Response Coordinator Jeff Gents and Deputy Coordinator Natalie Quillian are leaving the administration next month.
Jha is the dean of the Brown University School of Public Health. In announcing his appointment, Biden praised his work. Biden said, “We are entering a new phase in the pandemic. Dr Jha is the perfect person to execute my plan on Corona and manage its risks.”
Biden also said, “I applaud both Jeff and Dr. Jha for working together to ensure a smooth transition. I look forward to continued progress in the coming months.”
Biden praised Jeff Gents and his team, saying, “When Jeff assumed this responsibility, less than 1 percent of Americans had a complete vaccination. Less than half of our schools were open and unlike most of the developed world, the US was grappling with a lack of at home COVID tests. Today about 80 percent of adults are fully immunized. More than 100 million have been given booster doses. Almost every school is open and lakhs and crores of at home tests are being conducted every month.
Biden further said, “The US is leading the global effort in the fight against Corona. It provides more free vaccines to other countries than every other country. Let us tell you that America is the most affected country by the epidemic. According to data from Johns Hopkins University of Medicine, more than 968,300 deaths and more than 79,631,000 cases have been reported in the country.