Biden wants Fauci as a chief medical adviser for his administration, report says – CNET [CNET]

US President-elect Joe Biden has asked Dr. Anthony Fauci to be part of his administration’s COVID-19 response team, a CNN report Thursday said. In an interview with the publication, Biden said he wants National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases (NIAID) director Fauci to serve as a chief medical adviser under the Biden administration beginning in January 2021.

“I asked him to stay on the exact same role he’s had for the past several presidents, and I asked him to be a chief medical adviser for me as well, and be part of the COVID team,” Biden reportedly told CNN Thursday. 

Fauci is a member of current President Donald Trump’s coronavirus task force but has frequently come under fire from Trump for messaging the president doesn’t agree with.

Biden added he would get the COVID-19 vaccine publicly once Fauci approves it so as to restore “faith in the ability of the vaccine to work,” CNN said. His comments mirror offers earlier this week by former Presidents Barack Obama, Bill Clinton and George W. Bush to get the vaccine on-camera.

According to CNN, on the day of his inauguration, Biden will also ask Americans to wear masks for 100 days.

The Biden-Harris transition team and NIAID didn’t immediately respond to a request for comment.