The president-elect and vice president-elect met today with members of their COVID team, including COVID-19 Coordinator Jeff Zients, Director of the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases Dr. Anthony Fauci, CDC Director-designate Dr. Rochelle Walensky, COVID-19 Deputy Coordinator Natalie Quillian, COVID-19 Vaccinations Coordinator Bechara Choucair, and the co-chairs of his COVID-19 transition task force — former FDA Commissioner Dr. David Kessler, incoming Health Equity Task Force Chair Dr. Marcella Nunez-Smith, and U.S. Surgeon General-nominee Dr. Vivek Murthy.
The president-elect and vice president-elect were updated on the escalating number of COVID cases and the emergence of the new strain of the virus in the US. The team briefed the president-elect and vice president-elect on plans to enhance and accelerate vaccinations after they are sworn in.
A number of options were discussed, and the president-elect directed the team to explore all possible avenues — particularly increasing federal leadership — to accelerate getting the U.S. population vaccinated.