Dr. Céline Gounder, a member of the Biden-Harris Transition Covid-19 Advisory Board, takes a look at where we are, less than one week after President Biden assumed power. Deborah Birx and Tony Fauci have each come forward, unshackled, to discuss the moral and professional quandaries they faced, including threats and coercion, as Trump erected false narratives, intensifying in the fall electoral season and beyond, steering Americans into a human catastrophe. “Proximity to power is intoxicating. It corrupts judgment.” “I was impressed by Dr. Birx’s road trip.” It was “a smart pivot.” President Biden has shifted to unification and healing: “That is the way to get to the other side.” It is “calming” when public health and science leaders speak directly to the American people, aided by trusted messengers – the local sheriff, the faith leader, the soccer coach. There was chaos during the vaccine introduction, as the incoming administration was handed a “black box.” The way forward is through continued masking, social distancing, hand washing, along with patience, realism and an optimistic determination in expanding vaccine coverage, amid shortages. 

Dr. Céline Gounder is Assistant Professor at the NYU Grossman School of Medicine, President/CEO and founder of Just Human Productions, and host of the Epidemic and American Diagnosis podcasts. She served as a member of the Biden-Harris Transition Covid-19 Advisory Board.