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Former Surgeon General Vivek Murthy On Joe Biden’s Plan To Fight COVID-19

Vivek Murthy, the former U.S. surgeon general, left, participating in a roundtable discussion with former U.S. President Barack Obama in Washington, D.C.
Vivek Murthy, the former U.S. surgeon general, left, participating in a roundtable discussion with former U.S. President Barack Obama in Washington, D.C.

In the six months since the coronavirus first broke out, more than 190,000 people have died of COVID-19 throughout the United States. President Trump, who initially downplayed the pandemic, has come under heavy scrutiny following the release of audio that revealed he knew the virus was deadly as early as March.

Now, the top spokesman for the Department of Health and Human Services is taking a 60-day leave following reports that he tried to review a Centers for Disease Control and Prevention report in favor of the Trump administration.

As the general election approaches, Democratic nominee Joe Biden is looking to add a coronavirus strategy to his campaign with the help of Vivek Murthy, the former surgeon general under President Obama. Along with other figures, Biden is mapping out a process that would streamline vaccine distributions if elected. But some experts have cautioned that any beefed out plans could be complicated by widespread disinformation and a population that has grown divided on public safety efforts such as masks and vaccines.

We talk with the former surgeon general about how the new strategy will be rolled out in January if Joe Biden is successful in his bid for the presidency.

Copyright 2020 WAMU 88.5

Arfie Ghedi

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