Trump Names COVID-19 Testing Czar

On March 12, Health and Human Services Secretary Alex Azar designated Admiral Brett Giroir, MD, Assistant Secretary for Health and head of the Public Health Service, to coordinate COVID-19 diagnostic testing efforts among Public Health Service agencies, including the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention and the Food and Drug Administration, as well as state and local public health authorities and private or public clinical laboratories. Since then, Admiral Giroir, a pediatrician, has been visible at a number of recent White House briefings on the COVID-19 response. The HHS press release announcing the addition of Admiral Giroir to the Administration’s response team can be accessed here.