page_title: Jerome Adams
section_title: Coronavirus pandemic
hierarchical_section_title: Jerome Adams / Career / Surgeon General of the United States / Coronavirus pandemic
caption_attribution_description: U.S. Surgeon General Vice Admiral Jerome Adams, joined by Vice President Mike Pence and members of the White House Coronavirus Taskforce, addresses his remarks at a coronavirus update briefing Monday, March 9, 2020, in the James S. Brady Press Briefing Room of the White House. (Official White House Photo by D. Myles Cullen)
context_page_description: Jerome Michael Adams is an American anesthesiologist and a vice admiral in the U.S. Public Health Service Commissioned Corps who currently serves as the 20th Surgeon General of the United States. Prior to becoming Surgeon General, he served as the Indiana State Health Commissioner, from 2014 to 2017. On June 29, 2017, President Donald Trump nominated Adams to become Surgeon General of the United States. Adams was confirmed by the United States Senate on August 3, 2017. He assumed office on September 5, 2017.
context_section_description: In February 2020, Adams was appointed to the task force for dealing with the COVID-19 pandemic. Adams initially downplayed the risk from COVID-19 by comparing it to the flu, which was criticized by experts. He also implored people not to buy or use face masks in public because he said they were not effective in preventing the general public from catching the coronavirus that causes COVID-19. Adams later retracted this recommendation because he said there was new information about the asymptomatic spread of the virus. After Adams made statements about the increased risks facing African Americans from COVID-19, health experts criticized his assertions as misleading and lacking adequate context.
  Adams expressed concern that the George Floyd protests could lead to a spike in COVID-19 cases. According to Adams, "Based on the way the disease spreads, there is every reason to expect that we will see new clusters and potentially new outbreaks moving forward."
caption: Adams speaks to the White House press corps on COVID-19 in March 2020.
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