Biden COVID coordinators leaving in April, Jha to take over
ABC News
President Joe Biden’s COVID-19 coordinator Jeff Zients and his deputy Natalie Quillian are leaving the administration next month
WASHINGTON -- President Joe Biden's COVID-19 coordinator Jeff Zients and his deputy Natalie Quillian are leaving the administration next month, the White House announced Thursday. They will be replaced by Dr. Ashish Jha, the dean of the Brown University School of Public Health.
Zients, an experienced manager and government executive, was brought on by Biden before he took office to devise and execute a "wartime” federal government response to the coronavirus pandemic, including shoring up supply and distribution of vaccines, therapeutics and tests. His departure comes as the White House is shifting its posture from one of confronting an emergency to nudging Americans back to normalcy as the nation learns to live with a less-severe virus that is likely to remain endemic.
The latest national COVID-19 strategy, released by Zients and his team earlier this month, outlined a strategy to allow people to resume their usual activities safely after two years of pandemic disruptions.
The selection of Jha comes as the Biden administration has come under criticism for confusing public messaging around the virus as many restrictions and mandates are easing.
