A US election victory for science and public health

On 20 January 2021, the Trump era in the United States will end.1 Democratic president-elect Joe Biden will take office as the 46th president of the US. Vice president-elect, Kamala Harris, a senator from California and the daughter of immigrants, will be the first woman and person of colour to hold the office.

The new administration will have the daunting task of controlling and ending the covid-19 pandemic in the US. At present, all the coronavirus metrics are headed in the wrong direction, at extraordinary rates. As of 7 November, the US was reporting seven day moving averages of nearly 100 000 cases and nearly 1000 deaths.2 Many states have set and then immediately surpassed their daily records for cases and deaths.

More generally, the Biden administration will be tasked with restoring trust in the competence of the US government with regard to covid-19 and public health; the compassion, honesty, and decency of its leaders; and their fundamental respect for …