Biden to announce COVID-19 task force as Trump challenges election results

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President-elect Joe Biden is expected to announce the members of his coronavirus task force on Monday, according to news reports.

They will be in charge of preparing a plan to curb the spread of the virus, according to CNBC. This announcement would come as the United States experiences a record spike in confirmed cases of COVID-19. On Friday, the US hit a record of 126,400 cases in a single day.

Axios, who first reported Biden's plan to announce a task force, said it will be led by three co-chairs, former Surgeon General Vivek Murthy, former Food and Drug Administration Commissioner David Kessler and Dr. Marcella Nunez-Smith from Yale University. The report said there would be a total of 12 members on the team.

This announcement would be Biden's first major decision after he defeated President Donald Trump on Saturday to become the 46th president of the United States, positioning himself to lead a nation gripped by a historic pandemic and a confluence of economic and social turmoil. His victory came after more than three days of uncertainty as election officials sorted through a surge of mail-in votes that delayed the processing of some ballots. Biden crossed 270 Electoral College votes with a win in Pennsylvania.

Biden won't be sworn into office until Jan. 20.

“His work needs to begin right now. He needs to begin communicating the urgency of actions with the American people,” Dr. Leana Wen, the former Baltimore health commissioner, told NBC in a phone interview. “His biggest challenge is going to be getting people to follow his recommendations."

Throughout his campaign, Biden has contrasted Trump on the pandemic, arguing that the presidency and federal government exist for such crises. Unlike Trump, he doesn’t believe the leading role in the virus response should belong to state governors, with the federal government in support. #WakeUpCLT #COVID19 #Decision2020