President-elect Joe Biden convened a COVID-19 task force on Monday, to devise a cohesive framework to tackle the pandemic.  He also celebrated progress on a vaccine being developed by Pfizer and BioNTech, which reportedly has 90% effectiveness.

Chiming in from Wilmington, Delaware, Biden and Vice President-elect Kamala Harris brought together the task force virtually via video conference.

Biden's COVID-19 task force consists of former officials under the Trump administration including Rick Bright, who claims he was removed from the administration after raising coronavirus preparedness concerns. Another addition is Luciana Borio, an expert in complex public health emergencies. In total, the task force has 13 members.

The coronavirus proved to be a contentious issue throughout the 2020 election with President-elect Biden repeatedly blasting Trump for his lackluster response to the pandemic, removal of qualified public officials, and spreading misinformation pertaining to the pandemic.

On Saturday, Biden's tough stance on COVID-19 paid off as he was projected winner in Pennsylvania, clinching enough electoral votes. The Trump campaign has contested the outcome of the election and has launched a series of lawsuits in multiple states over allegations of voter fraud. As of today, the lawsuits have yet to reveal a concrete evidence of the aforementioned fact.

Science and experts will guide Biden in tackling the COVID-19 pandemic

Biden was quick to juxtapose his approach from Trump, couching his pandemic response on the advice of experts. Prior to the task force meeting, Biden said "I will be informed by science and experts." Vice President Mike Pence is scheduled to meet with the White House's COVID-19 task force later today for the first time since October.

Although Trump and his voters continue to contest the electoral outcome, markets have soared as a result of the announcement of a possible vaccine and Biden's victory in the electoral college. Just today the Dow surged to an all-time record on the back of the aforementioned news.

For many Americans, the question of the day remains, how will the Biden administration differ from Trump in its COVID-19 response? A large portion of Americans are concerned another round of lockdowns will further deteriorate economic and mental health. That said, Biden has not declared plans to de-facto shut down the U.S. yet again. Rather, he has said he will defer to experts on the matter.

What we do know

During the campaign, Biden repeatedly promised that he will increase testing, contact tracing and will provide up to $25 billion for vaccine development in addition to what has already been provided by the Trump administration. He also said that he will work with local officials to mandate masks and increase the usage of PPE.

Also, the president-elect said his administration will rejoin the World Health Organization (WHO) following Trump's decision to withdraw the U.S. due to increasing Chinese influence within the supranational body.

Lastly, Biden will urge the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) to take a more hands-on approach by working more closely with local communities.

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