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Southeast Texas healthcare workers anticipating second COVID spike while battling pandemic fatigue

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Southeast Texas healthcare workers anticipating second COVID spike while battling pandemic fatigue

Health officials said they expect this spoke in coronavirus cases to get worse, and ICU hospital beds in Jefferson County are still nearing capacity Friday night.

Doctors and healthcare workers are expecting more new cases linked to Thanksgiving gatherings and believe the next two weeks will be critical.

Health experts are expecting to start hitting similar record numbers reported in July, back when new COVID-19 cases were 100 per day. This week, the daily average for new coronavirus cases is 84.

With a second COVID-19 peak on the horizon, healthcare heroes are preparing as best they can.

“This is exactly what happened in July and August, so we feel like it’s repeating again,” Christus St. Elizabeth vice president of medical affairs Dr. Waqar Ahmad said.

Hospitalizations are rising, he said. He sees the trend every day.

“We see the signs of fatigue and tiredness in the staff, they’ve been fighting this pandemic for a long time now,” Ahmad said. “The past week has been really, really busy.”

Hospitals are not just busy with coronavirus patients. According to SETRAC, the majority of hospitalizations in Jefferson County are made up of people with other illnesses.

Dr. Ahmad said if you have other health issues, do not be afraid to go to the doctor before it gets worse.

“Talk to your doctor,” he said. “If you don’t want to go to the office, talk to them on the phone, get their advice.”

As hospitalizations rise, so do positive COVID-19 cases.

“Yes, we’re seeing an increase in cases, but next week is really critical for us,” Lamar University Associate Professor Dr. Praphul Joshi said.

Dr. Joshi crunches the numbers for Jefferson County. The rise in cases the last few weeks are from infections before Thanksgiving weekend.

“We are getting more and more people getting tested, and our positivity rate is increasing that is another scary thing too,” he said.

Last week, Jefferson County averaged 75 positive cases a day, Dr. Joshi said. This week, the average is 84.

He said he expects that number to continue to climb.

“There’s this notion that the disease is gone, but we are way far, far off,” Dr. Joshi said. “We have a long ways to go.”

Dr. Ahmad also said another challenge hospitals are facing is healthcare workers getting the virus and having to call in sick.

Everyday actions have a trickle-down effect, which is why he said he is asking everyone to stay vigilant.

General Public Could Receive Vaccinations By July, Texas Health Officials Say

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General Public Could Receive Vaccinations By July, Texas Health Officials Say

Texas health officials on Monday said they hoped to start vaccinating the general public by next July, though that could change based on the type of vaccine and how many doses the state receives.

In its COVID-19 vaccine distribution plan update, the Texas Department of State Health Services laid out its phased approach to vaccinations, with the health agency expecting to have about 1.5 million vaccine doses available for limited distribution by the end of the month to hospital staff treating COVID-19 patients, as well as staff and residents at long-term care facilities.

A second phase, set to run from February to July, would increase the number of available doses to ensure access to those critical populations that remained unvaccinated.

That would mean vaccinations for the general public wouldn’t be in full swing until mid-summer, according to Dr. Imelda Garcia with DSHS.

“You’ll see the state will be involved in COVID-19 vaccine distribution for quite some time, and likely for close to a year just based on what we’re anticipating right now,” Garcia told a state Senate Health and Human Services Committee panel on Monday.

A fourth phase, projected to begin in October of 2021, would include boosters and would make vaccines available through private providers.

Around 225,000 doses of the Pfizer vaccine will likely begin to be administered next week, according to the state’s plan, which is subject to change. Just under 50,000 of those doses are for hospital systems in Harris County, such as Memorial Hermann, Houston Methodist, and Harris Health.

“All systems are loaded,” said Saroj Rai, who works in the immunization unit at DSHS. “All selected hospitals are ready to go, and upon the issuance of emergency use authorization, those facilities will be ready to receive vaccine shipment.”

Fort Bend, Montgomery, and Galveston counties are also slated to receive first-week doses, according to the state health department.

Some health officials had previously expressed hope that the vaccine would be available by April but nonetheless urged the public not to drop its guard.

Dr. David Persse, Houston health authority, has continued to stress following public safety guidelines like social distancing and face coverings.

“We hear people like Dr. Fauci and others on the federal level talk about when the average person is going to have it,” Persse said late last month. “I’m hearing April is a common answer to that. I’m gonna put an asterisk with that answer because we’re going to have to see how fast it comes out and how fast it is consumed.”

The University of Texas Medical Branch in Galveston, which is set to receive nearly 3,000 doses of the vaccine, said it was expecting its first doses any day now. And that might be before FDA grants Pfizer emergency authorization, hospital officials said.

In line with Texas guidelines, these doses will go to hospital employees that are working directly with COVID-19 patients in the ER and ICU, as well as EMS workers.

UTMB may receive more doses about a week after the first shipment, and Dr. Phillip Keiser, who is leading UTMB’s vaccine preparedness team, said the hospital may be able to vaccinate nearly 1,000 people a day.

“We think we’re ready, but we also recognize that the first couple weeks of this are probably going to be very confused and we have to be nimble and be flexible,” Keiser said.

Coronavirus In Greater Houston: City Surpasses 100,000 COVID-19 Cases

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Coronavirus In Greater Houston: City Surpasses 100,000 COVID-19 Cases

With a vaccine on the horizon, local officials are asking Houstonians to remain vigilant with social distancing and mask-wearing, to help stop the spread of COVID-19.

 

The city of Houston hit a grim milestone on Sunday, surpassing 100,000 COVID-19 cases since the start of the pandemic.

The Houston Health Department reported 1,333 new coronavirus cases, bringing the total to at least 100,907 confirmed cases as of Monday morning. That number includes the removal of 32 previously identified cases, which were found to be duplicated. Of those cases, 94% were tested within the last two weeks.

The city also reported four new deaths, bringing the total in Houston to 1,465.

The news comes as the state of Texas continues its struggle to contain the spread of the virus. The Texas Department of State Health Services reported 8,436 new cases and 92 deaths Sunday, with 8,681 people hospitalized with COVID-19. And the seven-day average of new cases has quadrupled since the beginning of October, the Texas Tribune reported on Sunday.

A White House report made public last week warned that Texas and other states may be underplaying the pandemic and recommended public health officials in those states make clear to the public the severity of the virus.

Though a vaccine does appear to be on the horizon, health officials in Houston and beyond have urged the public not to drop their guard, and to continue following public safety guidelines like social distancing and face coverings.

Texas, meanwhile, has released its allocation list for the first week of vaccinations, which could come as early as Dec. 14, depending on FDA approval.

Hospitals in Harris County will get just under 50,000 doses of the Pfizer vaccine in the first week’s allocation, while Fort Bend, Montgomery, and Galveston counties are also slated to receive first-week doses, according to the state health department.

Monday afternoon, a Texas task force charged with coordinating vaccine distribution will hold a public meeting with further details of its plan.

The University of Texas Medical Branch in Galveston, which is set to receive nearly 3,000 doses of the vaccine, said it was expecting its first doses any day now. And that might be before FDA grants Pfizer emergency authorization, hospital officials said.

In line with Texas guidelines, these doses will go to hospital employees that are working directly with COVID-19 patients in the ER and ICU, as well as EMS workers.

UTMB may receive more doses about a week after the first shipment, and Dr. Phillip Keiser, who is leading UTMB’s vaccine preparedness team, said the hospital may be able to vaccinate nearly 1,000 people a day.

“We think we’re ready, but we also recognize that the first couple weeks of this are probably going to be very confused and we have to be nimble and be flexible,” Keiser said.

HPD: 3 people taken into custody after deadly shootout in northeast Houston

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HPD: 3 people taken into custody after deadly shootout in northeast Houston

A parking lot is littered with bullet casings and at least one person was shot after a deadly shootout over the weekend in northeast Houston.

Houston police responded to shots fired about 8:15 p.m. Sunday outside a business in the 400 block of Beltway 8 North.

Police said a man suffering from multiple gunshot wounds and shells from both pistols and rifles were found at the scene. Images from the scene showed the back window of a grey Volkswagen shot.

The shooting victim was taken to the hospital, where he was later pronounced dead. Meanwhile, investigators said they made contact with three persons of interest who surrendered to police not far from the crime scene.

The suspects are cooperating with the investigation, an officer said.

They believe a gunfight erupted between several people, and there’s evidence shots were fired from several different directions. Police are reviewing surveillance footage to determine what role the suspects and the victim played in the shooting.

They’re also searching for other possible victims or property damage in the area.

Please check back for updates on this developing story.

United Airlines offering COVID-19 tests for some passengers

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United Airlines offering COVID-19 tests for some passengers

Starting Monday, United Airlines is offering passengers COVID-19 tests before they leave to ten select destinations in Latin America and the Caribbean.

Certain countries require people to test negative before entering.

“It took a lot of time for us to look here in Houston, where to get the test,” said passenger Nicole Nogera.

Nogera from Honduras was visiting family and said she hopes to get tested through United Airlines next visit.

Passengers will get a COVID-19 test in the mail, they’ll administer it themselves and send it to a lab 72 hours before the flight.

Customers should expect to receive results within 24 to 48 hours.

Some countries require people to test negative to enter and this will help the passengers.

“We definitely want to be able to provide the customer the peace of mind that they know that these results are the ones required by the foreign government,” said Harry Cabrera with United Airlines IAH.

If someone tests positive, the airlines will work with the passenger to schedule a later flight.

The test costs $119.

The destinations include:

  • Aruba (AUA)
  • Belize City, Belize (BZE)
  • Guatemala City, Guatemala (GUA)
  • Lima, Peru (LIM)
  • Nassau, Bahamas (NAS)
  • Panama City, Panama (PTY)
  • Roatan, Honduras (RTB)
  • San Pedro Sula, Honduras (SAP)
  • San Salvador, El Salvador (SAL)
  • Tegucigalpa, Honduras (TGU)

 

29 people found in Houston home after man escapes alleged human smuggling operation

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29 people found in Houston home after man escapes alleged human smuggling operation

More than two dozen people were found inside a southwest Houston home on Thursday night — held hostage in just their underwear, police said.

Among the victims was a girl who may be a minor.

Mauro Dominguez-Maldonado, a 36-year-old Honduran national who was illegally residing in Houston, has been charged with harboring 29 individuals. He is expected to make his first court appearance Monday.

The criminal complaint alleges the residence had boarded-up windows and deadbolt locks on the inside doors. If convicted, Dominguez-Maldonado faces up to 10 years in federal prison and a fine up to $250,000.

The horrific scene was discovered after one of the victims managed to escape, running down the street with barely any clothes and calling for help. Police responded, breaking open what appears to be an apparent human smuggling operation.

According to police, the discovery was made at a home in the 4800 block of Raven Ridge Drive around 9 p.m. Thursday. And what police found has left neighbors speechless.

“It was crazy. It was like, wow, I don’t have any words to say,” said neighbor Bruno Chavero.

Someone called 911 when they heard a man calling for help, and when police arrived, he led them back to the house he’d escaped.

Caught on a neighbor Bruno Chavero’s surveillance is the moment officers swarm in. Inside, they found more than two dozen people police say were being held against their will. Chavero watched it all unfold.

“Right when they started taking everyone out, that’s when they let us out, and I could see a few people walking out naked, basically,” Chavero said.

Police are now investigating this as an apparent human smuggling operation. They say the victims, all from different Latin American countries, including Honduras, El Salvador, Mexico, and Cuba had been picked up in Brownsville and held in the Houston home for days, some nearly a week.

“Like how can we not see that, or hear anything?” said neighbor, Stephanie Corona.

Police said one of the victims told them he’d been promised a job in Houston, but that all changed when they arrived.

“I just feel really bad for these people you know; I wish and pray for them to be okay now,” Chavero said.

Thursday night, one woman showed up to the scene, hoping her cousin who she’d lost contact with for two months, might be one of the victims.

“I hope that God has saved him. That’s why I came all the way over here,” said Andrea Baquedeno.

Baquedano rushed to the scene on Thursday night.

“I don’t know. I just had a feeling he was in that group,” Baquedano said.

She said her cousin was among them.

“He gave us a call and he said he was in there in the house and that the police got them,” she said.

Her cousin was trying to get to the U.S. from Honduras but she hadn’t heard from him in two months.

“I was worried because one of the men that they used to call us he said, ‘You know what. Your cousin is missing. He probably might be dead,'” Baquedano said.

She knew her cousin was in trouble.

“Every time they call us, they say, ‘OK, you want to know about him, give us $3,000,’” she said.

She is relieved all the victims are safe.

Mary Lewis lives directly behind the home.

“When he ran up to me he looked like he was all cut up,” Lewis said. “He had like cuts in his face. But he was in his red shorts, drawers. And he was barefoot.”

Lewis believes the man jump her gate to get away from the house.

She said she was in her front yard when the man ran up to her.

“Then I was backing up. I said, ‘What’s wrong, man? I can’t understand you. What are you talking about?’ And then he would look back that way,” Lewis said.

She said the man then ran to another home for help.

As for the victims, they were moved out of the cold and into a nearby school gym before immigration services picked them up. During that time, neighbors like Mayra Aleman stepped in to help, providing clothes and blankets to the victims.

“We know that they struggle on their way here, they’re just looking for a better future, they’re just victims in all of this,” said Mayra Aleman.

Neighbors said three people moved into the rental home several months ago, and that the men were friendly and unassuming.

James Harden misses Rockets’ first practice due to COVID-19 protocols

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James Harden misses Rockets’ first practice due to COVID-19 protocols

The Houston Rockets began to practice for the 2020-21 season on Sunday, but they were without their best player. James Harden missed Houston’s practice due to COVID-19 protocols. The NBA required players participating in training camp to quarantine in the days leading up to camp, but Harden posted photos of himself attending the birthday party of rapper Lil’ Baby over the weekend. Harden, who reportedly asked Houston for a trade over the offseason, will have to post a negative test before he can join his teammates, which the Rockets are hoping happens soon.

“I’m not exactly sure what hoops he has to jump through in order to practice with the team,” Rockets coach Stephen Silas said of Harden on Sunday. “I would just say I want him here, and I want him to be a big part of what we’re doing. I’m excited to coach him and have him be a part of what we just had out there with good practice, with a bunch of guys who are working hard on both ends of the floor and had a good vibe about them.”

Despite swirling trade speculation, new Rockets guard John Wall “for sure” expects Harden to remain with the team this season. While speaking with media members Sunday, Wall said he and Harden had a “great talk” after Houston traded Russell Westbrook for Wall earlier in the week, according to Marc Stein of the New York Times. Despite the fact that Harden isn’t yet with the team, his newest teammate isn’t worried and said that the two are on the same page.

“We’re going to figure out what’s the best decision [regarding] when he wants to get here and be here,” Wall said of Harden. “We’ve been on the same page since I’ve been traded here.”

Even if Harden doesn’t want to be in Houston anymore, the decision is pretty much out of his hands at this point as he still has two years remaining on his current contract. At the very least, Harden is reportedly expected to begin the season as a member of the Rockets. Houston’s front office is clearly hopeful that the addition of Wall will be enough to entice Harden to want to remain with the Rockets, as Harden had a preference of playing with Wall over continuing to play with Westbrook.

With the 2020-21 season set to start in a few weeks, it certainly seems like Harden will indeed at least begin the season as a member of the Rockets. Given the years remaining on Harden’s current contract, there’s no reason for the Rockets to rush into a deal. In addition to trading for Wall, the Rockets also added a couple of talented big men in DeMarcus Cousins and Christian Wood over the offseason, and on paper, the project as a formidable squad.

If things click, Houston could still be a team capable of making noise in the highly competitive Western Conference, and Harden might change his stance about being traded. This is the best-case scenario for Houston, and it’s far from a guarantee. If things go south, though, the Rockets could still opt to trade Harden prior to the trade deadline, or even next offseason, and still, likely receive an attractive return package.

Biden picks health team

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Biden picks health team

Including Becerra for HHS secretary, Fauci as top coronavirus adviser.

President-elect Joe Biden announced Monday that he intends to nominate California Attorney General Xavier Becerra for secretary of Health and Human Services.

Becerra is cutting short his term as his state’s attorney general, which would have lasted until January 2023.

Republicans are already signaling their opposition to Becerra.

“Xavier Becerra spent his career attacking pro-life Americans and tried to force crisis pregnancy centers to advertise abortions,” Sen. Tom Cotton, R-Ark., wrote on Twitter. “He’s been a disaster in California and he is unqualified to lead HHS. I’ll be voting no, and Becerra should be rejected by the Senate.”

Additionally, Becerra’s being chosen to lead HHS essentially puts him out of the running for the Senate seat that will open up once Vice President-elect Kamala Harris is sworn in. California Gov. Gavin Newsom will appoint a senator to fill out the remainder of her term, and Becerra was rumored to be a leading contender.

Biden also named Dr. Anthony Fauci as his chief medical adviser on COVID-19. Fauci is currently director of the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases, and Biden said Fauci would continue to hold that position as well.

Dr. Vivek Murthy has been picked to return to his post as surgeon general, which he held during the Obama administration. The Senate voted to confirm him 51 to 43 in 2014.

Other picks that Biden announced Monday are:

–Chief of Infectious Diseases at Massachusetts General Hospital Dr. Rochelle Walensky for director of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention

–Yale School of Medicine professor Dr. Marcella Nunez-Smith for COVID-19 Equity Task Force chair

–Former Obama administration official Jeff Zients for the coordinator of the COVID-19 Response and counselor to the president

–Biden’s deputy campaign manager Natalie Quillian for deputy coordinator of the COVID-19 Response

Proposed COVID-19 relief bill expected to get backing from Trump, McConnell

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Proposed COVID-19 relief bill expected to get backing from Trump, McConnell

A proposed COVID-19 relief bill is expected to get backing from President Donald Trump and Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell but it won’t include $1,200 in direct payments to most Americans, a Republican senator involved in the bipartisan talks says.

“President Trump has indicated that he would sign a $908 billion package — there’s only one $908 billion package out there and it’s ours,” Sen. Bill Cassidy, R-La., said Sunday. “The pain of the American people is driving this, and I’m optimistic that both those leaders will come on board.”

With time running out, lawmakers from both parties were closing in on the final language that would provide roughly $300 in extra federal weekly unemployment benefits, leaving the issue of cash payments for President-elect Joe Biden to wrestle over with a new Congress next year.

The package to be released Monday would be attached to a larger year-end spending bill needed to avert a government shutdown this coming weekend.

The direct payments were popular when they were first distributed after the pandemic hit, and Biden on Friday had expressed hope that a second wave might come after weekend negotiations.

But senators involved in the talks said the checks won’t be included as part of the compromise, even as Sen. Bernie Sanders, I-Vt., and others said that could cause them to oppose the measure.

Sen. Dick Durbin of Illinois, the second-ranking Democrat, indicated that excluding the checks while assuring small-business aid and renters’ assistance was the only way to reach agreement with Republicans who are putting firm limits on the bill’s final price tag.

“The $1,200 check, it cost we believe nationally $300 billion, to give you an idea,” he said. “The Democrats have always wanted a larger number, but we were told we couldn’t get anything through the Republicans, except this $900 billion level.”

The plan being worked on by a group of Republican and Democratic senators is less than half of the Democrats’ push of $2.2 trillion and nearly double the $500 billion “targeted” package proposed by McConnell, R-Ky.

Cassidy agreed that a new round of direct checks “may be a go” at some point. “This is not a stimulus bill, it’s a relief bill,” he said. “And it’s something for the next three to four months to help those in greatest need.”

The proposal is expected to include the $300 per week in bonus federal unemployment payments, providing relief just as emergency aid payments at regular benefit levels are set to expire at year’s end. It would extend a freeze on evictions for people who cannot pay their rent and reauthorize the Paycheck Protection Program to give a second round of subsidies to businesses struggling through the pandemic.

Still, potential sticking points remain.

Sanders and Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez, D-N.Y., said last week they wouldn’t support the $908 billion proposal if it did not include checks for families, and were joined by Sen. Josh Hawley, R-Mo. Sanders and Ocasio-Cortez are also against shielding businesses from lawsuits claiming negligence for COVID-19 outbreaks, a provision pushed by Republicans.

While favoring the $1,200 checks, Biden said the emerging compromise was “immediately needed” and that additional assistance could follow later.

On Sunday, lawmakers involved in the negotiations said the direct payments would have to wait until after Biden is inaugurated on Jan. 20. At that time, Biden will face a new Congress as vaccines are being distributed, with a narrowed Democratic majority in the House and a closely divided Senate potentially split 50-50 if Democrats are able to prevail in two runoff elections in Georgia on Jan. 5.

Sen. Mark Warner, D-Va., said Sanders was not involved in the negotiations and “his characterization is just not accurate” about the potential liability protections for businesses. The direct payments, he said, will be a task for Biden.

Sen. Joe Manchin, D-W.Va., said the bipartisan group was focused on extending the most urgent aid for the next four months.

“Every indication says more money is needed; we see that,” he said. “This gets us through basically the lifelines that people need and the small businesses that can survive and not go under.”

Manchin said Biden’s team, when in power, “can put together a different proposal that takes us further down the road for more recovery.”

Durbin spoke on ABC’s “This Week,” Cassidy appeared on “Fox News Sunday,” Warner was on CNN’s “State of the Union” and Manchin was interviewed on NBC’s “Meet the Press.

Biden Transition Highlights: Biden Says He Will Ask Americans to Wear Masks During First 100 Days

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Biden Transition Highlights: Biden Says He Will Ask Americans to Wear Masks During First 100 Days

A deal still appears out of reach as Mitch McConnell and Nancy Pelosi discuss stimulus proposals. Vice President-elect Kamala Harris announced her top aides, including her chief of staff. The White House communications director for the Trump administration resigned.

President-elect Joseph R. Biden Jr. on Thursday pressed Congress and the nation to confront the worsening pandemic with urgency, as he also addressed fallout from President Trump’s final turbulent days in office.

Mr. Biden’s remarks came as part of a wide-ranging joint interview in which he and Vice President-elect Kamala Harris defended their cabinet appointments, alluded to covert Republican outreach to Mr. Biden and offered some of their most detailed remarks since winning the election about the next steps the country must take to battle the coronavirus crisis.

Mr. Biden said that on his first day as president, he would ask Americans to wear masks for 100 days. “Just 100 days to mask,” he said. “Not forever. 100 days. And I think we’ll see a significant reduction.”

He also expressed support for the bipartisan stimulus compromise under discussion in Congress. He said it was a “start,” even as he said that more relief would be needed as the nation reels from the pandemic’s economic fallout.

“I think it should be passed,” Mr. Biden said of the $908 billion proposal, though he added, “I’m going to have to ask for more help when we get there to get things done.”

The joint interview came as Mr. Trump continues to push false claims of election fraud and declines to concede.

Asked whether it would be important for Mr. Trump to attend the Democrat’s inauguration, Mr. Biden laughed, but conceded that such a move could help the country heal.

“Not in a personal sense,” he said. “Important in a sense that we are able to demonstrate at the end of this chaos that he’s created, that there is peaceful transfer of power with the competing parties standing there, shaking hands and moving on.”

Plenty of Republican lawmakers have not yet recognized Mr. Biden as president-elect, either, but Mr. Biden, a relative centrist and former senator himself who insists that bipartisan deal-making is still possible, said that he had received some quiet outreach.

“There have been more than several sitting Republican senators who have privately called me and congratulated me,” Mr. Biden said.

The president-elect also spent considerable time addressing his response to the pandemic, saying that he had asked Dr. Anthony S. Fauci, the nation’s top infectious disease expert, to play a central role in his administration.

“I asked him to stay on in the exact same role he’s had for the past several presidents, and I asked him to be a chief medical adviser for me as well, and be part of the Covid team,” Mr. Biden said in the interview, adding that he had spoken with Dr. Fauci earlier in the day.

Many experts say the United States is headed into an especially brutal stage of the coronavirus pandemic, even as hopeful signs for a vaccine emerge.

Mr. Trump has been overtly critical of Dr. Fauci and frequently ignored the advice of health experts throughout the pandemic, despite testing positive himself for the coronavirus weeks before Election Day.

Mr. Biden expressed concern on Thursday about the prospect of Mr. Trump weighing pre-emptive pardons, including of his own children.

“It concerns me in terms of what kind of precedent it sets, and how the rest of the world looks at us as a nation of laws and justice,” he said.

But Mr. Biden stressed, as he had in the past, that he will defer to his Justice Department for any possible response on the matter, emphasizing the importance of an independent department.

“I’m not going to be telling them what they have to do and don’t have to do,” he said. “I’m not going to be saying, ‘Go prosecute A, B or C,’ I’m not going to be telling them. That’s not the role. It’s not my Justice Department. It’s the people’s Justice Department.”

Mr. Biden has not yet named his choice to lead that department, and he did not directly answer a question about whether he favored appointing a Black attorney general.

Mr. Biden is facing a range of pressures over the composition of his cabinet. Some supporters worry that he has not yet delivered on his promise to assemble a diverse administration that reflects the country, and progressives in his party are pushing for more representation.

“I promise you, you’ll see the most diverse cabinet, representative of all folks, Asian-Americans, African-Americans, Latinos, L.G.B.T.Q., across the board,” he said.

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