Biden in virus race

US president-elect Joe Biden convened a coronavirus task force yesterday to examine the No 1 problem that will confront him when he takes office in January.

At the same time, President Donald Trump was pursuing long-shot gambits to keep his job.

Biden met an advisory board co-chaired by former surgeon general Vivek Murthy, former Food and Drug Administration chief David Kessler and Yale University associate professor Marcella Nunez-Smith working on how to tame a pandemic that has killed more than 237,000 Americans.

"Dealing with the pandemic is one of the most important battles our administration will face, and I will be informed by science and by experts," Biden said.

The group will liaise with local and state officials on the pandemic response, including how to safely reopen schools and businesses.

Also involved is Rick Bright, who was removed this year as head of federal agency the Biomedical Advanced Research and Development Authority, and Luciana Borio, who specializes in complex health emergencies.

Trump has frequently clashed with top health officials on the pandemic.

Meantime, in refusing to accept an election defeat Trump has launched an array of lawsuits to press claims of voting fraud for which he has not produced any evidence.

Officials of states also say they are not aware of significant irregularities.

Still, Trump plans to hold rallies to build support for his challenges.

Among suggestions of fraud by Trump are that dead people's names have been used in voting, and the president has formed teams to pursue recounts in several states.

Experts said that effort, like his lawsuits, are unlikely to meet with success.

"The chances of a recount flipping tens of thousands of votes across multiple states in his favor are outside anything we have seen in American history," William Antholis, director of the University of Virginia's Miller Center think tank, wrote.

Yet many Republicans have yet to recognize Democrat Biden's victory.

Republican attorneys general from Louisiana, Kentucky, Missouri and Oklahoma were helping Trump challenge how Pennsylvania has handled mail ballots - a popular option this year for voters seeking to avoid coronavirus exposure.

And while Trump is criticizing voting by mail as insecure, he has himself voted that way.

Experts also say it is as reliable as any other method.

Biden advisers are considering candidates for top posts. But the transition process cannot shift into top gear until the General Services Administration, which oversees federal property, certifies the winner.

Emily Murphy, a Trump appointee who runs the agency, has not yet done so and there is no timetable for a decision.

Until then, the GSA can continue providing Biden's team with offices, computers and background checks for security clearances, but members cannot enter federal agencies or access federal funds for the transition.