White House to disband Covid response team in May

Washington, March 23

The White House will disband its Covid-19 response team led by Indian-American physician Ashish Jha, as the public health emergency over the pandemic is set to expire on May 11, officials said.

Under President Joe Biden's administration, the team was responsible for coordinating the nationwide rollout and distribution of vaccines, treatments and medical supplies, reports CNN.

"As a result of this administration's historic response to Covid-19, we as a nation are in a safer, better place than we were three years ago.

"Covid no longer disrupts our lives because of investments and our efforts to mitigate its worst impacts," CNN quoted a senior administration official as saying in a statement.

The official however, noted that Covid is not over and fighting it remains a priority for the administration.

"Transitioning out of the emergency phase is the natural evolution of the Covid response."

The US remains the worst-hit country in the world with the highest number of Covid-19 cases and deaths.

As of Thursday, it has registered a total of 106,037,022 cases since the pandemic first erupted in early 2020, while the death toll stood at 1,152,525.