Joe Biden asks Dr Fauci to be part of his Covid response team

Joe Biden says he has asked Dr Anthony Fauci to stay on as part of his Covid response team when he becomes president.

The president-elect says he would also take a Covid-19 vaccine on television once the country’s top infectious disease expert says it is safe.

Mr Biden said that he spoke with Dr Fauci on Thursday and that he would become a “chief medical advisor” to him in January.

“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,” Mr Biden told CNN’s Jake Tapper.

Mr Biden added that his chief of staff, Ron Klain, knew Dr Fauci well and had been talking to the medical expert “all the time.”

Mr Biden also said that on his inauguration day he planned to ask Americans to wear masks for 100 days.

“Just 100 days to mask, not forever. 100 days. And I think we’ll see a significant reduction.” said Mr Biden.

Mr Biden added that once Dr Fauci said it was safe he was prepared to take the vaccine publicly to demonstrate his confidence in it.

“That’s the moment in which I will stand before the public,” he said.

“People have lost faith in the ability of the vaccine to work. Already the numbers are really staggeringly low, and it matters what the president and vice president do.”

Mr Biden’s promise came the day after Bill Clinton, George W Bush and Barack Obama said they would be publicly vaccinated to give Americans confidence in it.

“I think that my three predecessors have set the model as to what should be done, saying, once it’s declared to be safe… then obviously we take it and it’s important to communicate to the American people,” added Mr Biden.