Indian-American Seema Verma has been appointed as one of the key members of the White House Coronavirus Task Force constituted by US President Donald Trump. US has already seen 6 deaths due to the virus and over 90 reported cases.
Prez Trump had created a coronavirus task force on January 30. It is led by Secretary of Health and Human Services Alex Azar, and is coordinated through the National Security Council.
On Monday, US Vice President Mike Pence, via a tweet, announced the appointment of Seema Verma, Administrator for the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS), and Robert Wilkie, Secretary for the Department of Veterans Affairs, to the task force.
“The White House Coronavirus Task Force has been working every single day to ensure the health, safety & well-being of the American people,” he tweeted.
“Today, we made good progress in combatting the spread of the Coronavirus and added key members, @SeemaCMS and @SecWilkie, to the Task Force,” he said.
Today @VP and I announced the addition of @SecWilkie and @SeemaCMS to the President’s Coronavirus Task Force after announcing the addition of @SecretaryCarson, @SteveFDA, and @WHOSTP Director Droegemeier on Sunday. https://t.co/zTNdjPW2MY
— Secretary Alex Azar (@SecAzar) March 2, 2020
According to an official statement, all six deaths in the US are from the Washington state with 43 domestic cases and 48 cases of the individuals who returned to the US.
Trump along with Pence reviewed the situation at the White House on Monday with top health officials and leaders from the pharma corporate sector who are working on either vaccine or therapeutics for the COVID-19.
Responding to her appointment, Verma tweeted, “Thank you @POTUS Trump, @VP Pence, & @SecAzar for the opportunity to serve America’s patients & represent the @CMSGov perspective, which focuses on enforcing essential health and safety standards in America’s healthcare facilities and protecting patients.,”
“As a reminder, facilities are required to comply w/ Medicare’s infection control practices. For #COVID19, we encourage you to take necessary precautions, as recommended by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC),” she said.
“We at @CMSGov know that #healthcare providers & staff have their patients’ best interests at heart, & it’s incredibly important that they continue following the safety guidelines laid out by CMS & the @CDCGov,” she said.
Thank you @POTUS Trump, @VP Pence, & @SecAzar for the opportunity to serve America’s patients & represent the @CMSGov perspective, which focuses on enforcing essential health and safety standards in America’s healthcare facilities and protecting patients. https://t.co/rrelltfYRF
— Administrator Seema Verma (@SeemaCMS) March 2, 2020
According to the World Health Organisation, there are 89,527 confirmed COVID-19 cases and 3,056 deaths reported globally.
India too has 5 confirmed cases of Indian nationals. One additional case has come up in Jaipur of an Italian national.