Biden told CNN he will take the vaccine publicly once Fauci says it’s safe.
Sarah Tew/CNET
US President-elect Joe Biden has asked Dr. Anthony Fauci to be part of his administration’s COVID-19 response team, bringing continuity to the country’s response to a once-in-a-generation pandemic.
In an interview with CNN on Thursday, Biden said he wants Fauci, the director of the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases, to serve as chief medical adviser in his new administration, which begins in January.
“I asked him to stay on in the exact same role he’s had for the past several presidents,” Biden said. “I asked him to be a chief medical adviser for me as well, and be part of the COVID team.”
Fauci is a member of President Donald Trump’s coronavirus task force but has frequently come under fire from Trump for his science-backed recommendations to help slow the spread.
In the US, more than 275,000 people have died from COVID-19 and 14 million cases have been confirmed.
Biden added he would take the COVID-19 vaccine publicly once it is approved as an effort to restore “faith in the ability of the vaccine to work.” The president-elect’s comments mirror offers earlier this week by former Presidents Barack Obama, Bill Clinton and George W. Bush to get the vaccine on camera.
Biden also said he will ask Americans to wear masks for 100 days.
The president-elect called a $900 billion stimulus bill a “good start.” He said his administration would have to ask for more money to address the economic devastation caused by the coronavirus pandemic. “People are really hurting,” Biden said. “They’re scared to death.”
Andrew Morse contributed to this report.
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