Jeff Zeints is stepping down next month from his post as President Joe Biden‘s Coronavirus Response Coordinator and will be replaced by Dr. Ashish Jha, dean of the Brown University School of Public Health, the White House announced Thursday.
Despite calls from congressional Republicans for the White House to disband it’s COVID task force, Jha said upon news of his new position: ‘We still have important work to do to protect Americans’ lives and well being.’
Jha shared that it is his mission to ‘vaccinate the world’ and cautioned: ‘The pandemic is not over.’
Biden said in a statement announcing Zient’s departure that there is ‘no one better at delivering results than Jeff,’ before going on to announce Jha as his replacement.
White House Coronavirus Response Coordinator Jeff Zients (left) is stepping down from his post and being replaced by dean of the Brown University School of Public Health Dr. Ashish Jha (right), President Joe Biden announced Thursday
Biden said there is ‘no one better at delivering results than Jeff,’ before going on to announce his successor Jha
Jha shared a lengthy Twitter thread saying ‘we still have important work to do’ to address the pandemic
Jha said his mission is to help ‘vaccinate the world’ and warned: ‘The pandemic is not over’
The president also praised Zients for the strides made toward reopening America after three coronavirus vaccines were given Food and Drug Administration approval for use in the U.S. the first months of the administration change.
‘The progress that he and his team have made is stunning and even more important consequential. Lives have been saved,’ Biden said in a statement shared Thursday morning.
‘COVID-19 is the greatest public health crisis we’ve faced in my lifetime and it required the country to build from scratch an emergency response infrastructure that could quickly and equitably get people life-saving protections,’ Biden said.
Zients was appointed on Day One of Biden’s presidency to lead the White House coronavirus task force, which was created under former President Donald Trump when the pandemic started in the spring of 2020.
After 14 months in the position, Zients is stepping down, but it is not immediately clear what he will do next.
Jha, an Indian American physician, expressed how personally honored he feels for PResident Biden to choose him to succeed Zients.
‘On a personal note,’ Jha tweeted in a lengthy thread Thursday morning, ‘For a poor immigrant kid who left India not speaking a word of English [a]nd found in America a nation willing to embrace me as one of her own, I am deeply honored for this chance to serve this country I love.’
Zient’s departure comes at a turning point in the pandemic as case and death rates continue to plummet and COVID-related restrictions in the U.S. continue to ease – including relaxing of mask mandates.
Jha shared a personal story of his pride in being appointed to the administration post after immigrating to the U.s. from India as a kid and felt embraced by America
Confirmed COVID-19 cases plunged from more than 700,000 per day in mid-January to 33,000 per day now.
Despite this, former President Barack Obama, Second Gentleman Doug Emhoff and Irish Taoiseach Micheál Martin, currently on a trip to the U.S., all tested positive for coronavirus in the last week.
‘We are in so much of a better place with vaccines, diagnostics, increasingly, therapeutics, and much more,’ Jha said in his Twitter thread. ‘Much of this because of the superb leadership of Jeff Zients.’
Zients (right) was appointed to lead the COVID task force on Day One of the administration – but now some are calling for the task force to be disbanded now that coronavirus cases are on the decline and restrictions are relaxing
Despite lowering case-rates, former President Barack Obama (left) and Second Gentleman Doug Emhoff (right) both tested positive this week
Irish Taoiseach Micheál Martin, pictured speaking with House Speaker NAncy Pelosi on Wednesday evening, got news he tested positive for the virus half way through the Ireland Funds National Gala in D.C.
‘The pandemic has taken an enormous toll on us all,’ he added. ‘It has left millions of families with a hole in the fabric of their lives. It has caused so much suffering both directly from the virus and its effects on mental health, income, education losses, and much more.’
He continued: ‘We are not done. We are very likely to see more surges of infections. We may see more variants. We can’t predict everything with certainty. But we have to prepare to protect the American people whatever Mother Nature throws at us.’
‘And we have to continue to lead in helping the rest of the world get vaccinated, protected,’ Jha said. ‘Both because a global pandemic demands a global solution – and because it’s the right thing to do.’
‘And restoring America’s moral leadership has been a critical part of the past 15 months.’
‘So we have some work to do my friends. As much as I wish otherwise, the pandemic is not over. So let’s keep our eye on the ball.’
