Frequent network TV medical guest and Dean of Public Health at Brown University Ashish Jha will lead the White House response to COVID-19, reports NPR.
President Biden named Jha as his new COVID response coordinator Thursday. He replaces Jeff Zients, whose credited with ramping up the country’s vaccine program.
The choice also marks a shift in the pandemic, with the country still searching for a vaccine for children and at a time when there has been an uptick in cases, according to MSN.
“Dr. Jha is one of the leading public health experts in America, and a well-known figure to many Americans from his wise and calming public presence,” Biden said.
On Thursday, the Environmental Protection Agency released a guide to improve air quality and to reduce the risk of spreading airborne particles.
“Ashish will bring to President Biden and our nation what he has brought — and will bring back — to Brown: an unrivaled commitment to improving public health equitably, effectively, creatively, with heart and a commitment to science,” Brown University President Christina H. Paxson said in a statement to Politico.
Unlike Zients who has a background in business, Jha brings a background in medicine.
“His appointment is really confirmation that the White House understands that this is not over,” Scott Becker, CEO of the Association of Public Health Laboratories, said to Politico. “Putting a public health person in that role speaks volumes to me. They get it.”
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