Indian American health policy consultant in Trump administration updates guidelines on combating disease.
A tweet on Monday by Vice President Mike Pence announced the appointment of Seema Verma along with Robert Wilkie as key members of US COVID-19 task force.
Verma serves as the administrator for the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services, while Wilkie is the Secretary for the Department of Veterans Affairs.
As the growing threat of Coronavirus becoming a pandemic looms large, more and more health officials in the US are advising people how to combat its spread.
So far, 90 people have been found infected in the US, while six have lost their lives to the disease.
With US authorities going into an emergency mode to contain the spread of the virus, Verma’s appointment as a key person in the task force is seen as an important development.
The task force is led by Secretary of Health and Human Services Alex Azar, and is coordinated through the National Security Council.
“The White House Coronavirus Task Force has been working every single day to ensure the health, safety & well-being of the American people,” tweeted Pence.
“Today, we made good progress in combatting the spread of the Coronavirus and added key members, @SeemaCMS and @SecWilkie, to the Task Force,” he added.
In response, Verma was quick to tweet back, “Thank You@POTUS Trump @VP Pence and @SecAzar for the opportunity to serve America’s patients and represent the @CMSGov perspective which focuses on enforcing essential health and safety standards in America’s healthcare facilities and protecting patients.”
Ever since, her appointment, Verma has been constantly updating useful information on how to combat the spread of the disease.
“You can help prevent exposure to COVID19 by: avoid Touching your eyes, nose and mouth, cleaning and disinfecting frequently touched objects and washing your hands often with soap and water for at least 20 seconds,” she tweeted.
Verma also posted a document that contained additional guidelines such as to clean and disinfect frequently touched objects and surfaces using regular household cleaning spray and wipes.
CDC, it said does not recommend the people who are well to wear a face mask to protect themselves and face masks should be worn only by people who show symptoms.