Trump Administration to appoint Alex Azar as Coronavirus Response Head

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Trump administration is looking to appoint a coronavirus chief to coordinate the response to the spreading epidemic. The officials are still debating whether such a role is essential, but the global spread has increased the urgency to elevate its response. The Trump administration is eager to appear like it’s in control of containing the virus within the United States. The former FDA (Food and Drug Administration) commissioner Scott Gottlieb is among a handful of officials being discussed for the role of coronavirus head. But, a senior administration official stressed that Trump will make the final call and hasn’t yet made a decision. On Wednesday, Trump returned from a trip to India and quickly announced a 6 pm press conference to discuss the response.

Alex Azar is the secretary of Health and Human Services, and currently leading the administration’s coronavirus efforts. It is noteworthy that those efforts have come under fire after the health department botched the rollout of coronavirus lab tests and left hundreds of Americans aboard a quarantined cruise ship where coronavirus rapidly spread. A White House spokesman said the president hasn’t yet announced his plans to create a head position. The deputy press secretary, Judd Deere wrote on Twitter and said, “The President took decisive action by creating the Coronavirus Virus Task Force a month ago and is pleased with the leadership of @SecAzar to protect the public health”.

Azar pointed out his role in the recently convened task force from the President. He said, “I serve as the lead on this. I work on a daily basis with the chief of staff and the president. So if there’s any de-conflicting between agencies that need to happen, it can happen there”. He also mentioned the coronavirus response from Trump administration as the smoothest interagency process. Azar added, “I’ve ever experienced in 20 years of dealing with public health emergencies. The oddity is what the Obama administration chose to do with Ebola. I’m not sure why they felt things weren’t working and they needed to do that. The president is the one who said that HHS is the lead agency. I don’t anticipate one”.