PRESCRIBED REST

Biden Ousts Trump-Picked Surgeon General Jerome Adams

The physician was condemned by some for amplifying the president’s misleading claims about the disease in the early days of the pandemic.

President-elect Joe Biden has ousted the nation’s top doctor, Surgeon General Jerome Adams, as he takes office. Adams was appointed by President Trump in September 2017 and his four-year term wasn’t set to expire until later this year—but, according to The Washington Post, Biden forced Adams into an early exit. He became one of the most recognizable faces of the Trump administration’s response to the early days of the coronavirus pandemic, but was condemned by some for amplifying the president’s misleading claims about the disease, saying back in March: “I’m convinced that more people are going to die by far from the flu than from coronavirus.” Biden has nominated Vivek Murthy, the surgeon general under President Obama, to take up the job once again. He bypassed Deputy Surgeon General Erica Schwartz, who is now reportedly planning to retire. In a social-media post announcing his departure, Adams wrote “Americans working together can overcome any obstacle or adversary. I stand at the ready to help in our mutual quest for recovery, resilience, and health, and thank you from the bottom of my heart, for the opportunity to serve.”