Dr. Ashish Jha will replace them as dean of Brown University School of Public Health.
Biden brought Zients onboard as a government executive and manager before he took office to design and implement a “wartime” federal government response to the coronavirus outbreak . This included securing vaccine supply and distribution, and testing. As the White House shifts its focus from addressing an emergency to nudging Americans to normalcy, the nation is learning to live with a less severe virus that is likely not to become endemic.
Zients’ latest COVID-19 national strategy was released earlier this month by his team. It outlines a strategy that allows people to safely resume normal activities after two years of pandemic disruptions.
Jha was selected at a time when the Biden administration has been criticized for confusing public messaging about the virus, as many restrictions are being relaxed and mandates are decreasing.
Biden’s announcement of Jha’s appointment highlighted Jha’s communications skills and familiarity with Americans as a fixture in cable news.
He said, “As we enter an important moment in the pandemic — executing my National COVID-19 Preparedness Plan as well managing the ongoing COVID risks — Dr. Jha will be the ideal person for the job.”
Biden released a statement praising Zients’ and his team’s “stunning and consequential” efforts against the coronavirus pandemic.
Biden stated that less than 1% of Americans had been fully vaccinated when Jeff started his job. Moreover, fewer than half of our schools were open and America, unlike many other countries, didn’t have any COVID tests at home. “Today, nearly 80% of adults have been fully vaccinated. More than 100 million are boosted. Virtually every school is open. Hundreds of millions of at home tests are given every month.
Biden stated that the U.S. leads the global effort against COVID and “provides more vaccines for other countries than any other country.”
On Thursday, the State Department announced that more than 500,000,000 doses of the promised 1.2 billion doses by the end this year have been shared with the world.
Jen Psaki, White House press secretary, stated Thursday that the transition was reflective of the changing circumstances surrounding the pandemic response. She said that Jeff Zients is an operational and management guru, while Jha has a reputation as a public health communicator.
The National COVID-19 Preparedness plan, which spans 90 pages, outlines investments and initiatives to reduce serious illness and death from the virus. It also prepares for new variants.
The White House stated that the plan “lays out the roadmap for us to fight COVID-19 as we move America away from crisis to a point when COVID-19 doesn’t disrupt our daily lives and it is something we prevent and treat.” “We won’t just live with COVID-19. We will do our best to make COVID-19 a part of our lives.
Zients was vice-chair of the Biden transition before he joined the Biden administration. He was director of the National Economic Council and acting director of OMB. Zients led the effort to fix HealthCare.gov following its disastrous rollout in 2013. He was also a senior executive at the Advisory Board Company.
Quillian was a bipartisan campaign manager in 2020. He also served as chief of staff to the Obama White House chief of staff. Quillian also worked at the National Security Council, the Pentagon, and other agencies.
