Biden convenes COVID-19 task force and celebrates vaccine progress

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President-elect Joe Biden prepares to make a speech on Monday, Nov. 9, 2020, at The Queen theater in Wilmington, Del. (AP Photo/Carolyn Kaster)

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.