As he begins his transition to the presidency, Joe Biden is pivoting from a bitter campaign battle to another, more pressing fight: reining in the pandemic that has hit the world’s most powerful nation harder than any other.

The US will be ending its relationship with the World Health Organization, President Donald Trump announced Friday, saying that WHO had failed to adequately respond to the coronavirus because China has "total control" over it.

UN independent human rights experts fear a needless increase in coronavirus deaths due to discrimination and urged governments on Monday to commit to racial equity and equality in their response to the pandemic.   The Working Group of Experts on People of African Descent said structural discrimination could worsen inequalities in access to healthcare and treatment, which could lead to a rise in disease and death rates among people of African descent.   “Despite robust responses, States have not recognised the specific health risks faced by people of African descent or how racial discrimination and implicit bias and racial stereotypes may pervade policy”, chair Ahmed Reid said in a statement, reports UN News.   He said this also raises the parallel concern that even research and knowledge production in response to this crisis may overlook specific barriers to care or the racially discriminatory impact of policy.