iNDICA NEWS BUREAU-
Dr. Vivek Murthy’s appointment as a top aide to co-chair President-Elect Joe Biden’s Corona Virus Task Force, comes at a time when the country is deeply divided on various fronts.
His appointment has raised hope and optimism across the country that looks forward to an America that is inclusive and committed to change.
To acknowledge this moment, Dr. Sudhakar Jonnalagadda, President of American Association of Physicians of Indian Origin (AAPI) said, “Dr. Vivek Murthy’s appointment by President-Elect Joe Biden to co-chair the Task Force on Corona Virus is highly critical, timely, and much needed.”
While praising the appointment of the Task Force to be the very first major announcement by the new administration led by President-Elect Biden and Vice President-Elect Kamala Harris, Dr. Jonnalagadda described the choice of Dr. Murthy to chair and Dr. Atul Gawande as a member of the Task Force, as “cementing the reputation physicians of Indian origin have across America.”
President-elect Joe Biden has put his complete trust on doctors and scientist to give him the best advice to be taken to tackle the raging pandemic which the Trump administration carelessly managed.
He has turned to three prominent physicians to lead his coronavirus task force who have collectively signaled that they will approach the pandemic far differently than the Trump administration, which they have criticized for mixing politics with science.
“America is still losing over 1,000 people a day from COVID-19, and that number is rising — and is expected to continue to get worse unless we make progress on masking and other immediate action,” Dr. Jonnalagadda said. ‘That is the reality for now, and for the next few months. The announcement of the Task Force by Biden promises the chance to change that in the coming weeks and months.”
“President-Elect Biden has made the right choice in naming the two highly qualified physicians of Indian origin to serve on the most important panel to combat the pandemic and suggest ways to fight and contain the spread of the virus,” said Dr. Sajani Shah, Chair of AAPI’s BOT.
As a part of the Democratic National Convention, which was held from 17-20 August, Murthy spoke in support of Biden.
“Our nation has what it absolutely takes to overcome the Covid-19 pandemic… We have the talent, resources and technology, what we are missing is leadership. We need a leader who works with states to ensure that everyone who needs a test gets one and gets results quickly… We need a leader who inspires us… that’s why I am here tonight not because of politics but because I know Joe Biden can be that leader,” he had said.
Murthy had added he had seen how Biden “poured himself in Covid briefings” and appreciated his support for immigrants.
