RIO DE JANEIRO, BRAZIL – U.S. President-elect Joe Biden announced on Monday, November 9th, the members of his task force to fight the coronavirus in the country. Among the professionals appointed is the Brazilian doctor Luciana Borio, specialist in biodefense, infectious diseases and public health at the Think Tank Council on Foreign Relations.
Borio has lived in the United States since the end of the 80’s and has worked as chief scientist for the U.S. Food and Drug Administration. She was also the National Security Council’s (NSC) director for medical and biodefense preparedness, who advised the White House until her department was terminated by Donald Trump in 2018.
The Brazilian was relocated to other units within the NSC and served as White House advisor until May 2019. Last year, she left the public sector to join In-Q-Tel, a company for strategic investment in technology for defense and national security.
Since the start of the pandemic, the scientist has been one of the most critical voices in the adoption of chloroquine as a treatment for Covid-19 before scientific evidence of its effectiveness.
In addition to Borio, the Democratic task force will include important researchers from American universities and former members of the World Health Organization. The team will be led by ex-surgeon general Vivek Murthy, David Kessler, ex-commissioner of the Food and Drug Administration (FDA), and Dr. Marcella Nunez-Smith, from Yale University.
“The transition board will help shape my approach to managing the increase in reported infections; ensuring that vaccines are safe, effective and distributed efficiently, equitably and free; and protecting populations at risk,” Biden said as he announced the names of his team of experts.
Source: Veja