Biden’s presidency could bring a smoother vaccine rollout and an overall decline in coronavirus cases, experts say

President-elect Joe Biden will inherit the world’s worst coronavirus outbreak when he takes office in January.

Joe Biden delivers remarks at an aluminum manufacturing facility in Manitowoc, Wisconsin, on September 21, 2020. Photo: Jim Watson/AFP via Getty Images

By Aria Bendix

President-elect Joe Biden will inherit the world’s biggest coronavirus outbreak when he takes office in January. Over the last nine months, the US has seen far more cases and deaths than any other country. New daily cases have reached record highs in the last two weeks, leading many experts to expect the fall-winter surge to be the nation’s largest, and perhaps deadliest, yet.

Although the US pandemic response isn’t likely to change under Trump for the next few months, public-health experts think Biden’s new administration, once it takes office, might achieve a smoother vaccine distribution process than Trump’s administration would have. They also anticipate a steady decline in coronavirus cases, due to Biden’s championing of public-health measures including masks, social distancing, and lockdowns in areas where transmission gets too high.

“I’m not sure that the election will determine what happens with this latest surge, but what our response is after that certainly will differ,” Dr. Leana Wen, a public-health professor at George Washington University…