The White House is launching an office that will prepare for future pandemics and fight existing threats such as COVID-19 and influenza.

President Biden appointed retired Air Force Maj. Gen. Paul A. Friedrichs to lead the Office of Pandemic Preparedness and Response Policy.

The administration said the office will take over for teams that led the response to COVID-19 and mpox, formerly known as monkeypox. Mr. Biden declared an end to the public health emergency around the coronavirus in May and his COVID-19 coordinator, Ashish Jha, departed the White House.

The OPPR “will be a permanent office in the Executive Office of the President (EOP) charged with leading, coordinating and implementing actions related to preparedness for, and response to, known and unknown biological threats or pathogens that could lead to a pandemic or to significant public health-related disruptions in the United States,” the White House said Friday in a fact sheet.

The administration said the pandemic office will oversee efforts to develop new therapies or next-generation vaccines for existing and emerging threats. As it stands, the U.S. is set to deploy the first vaccine for respiratory syncytial virus vaccine — in adults 60 and older — this fall alongside flu shots and COVID-19 boosters.

The new office will generate reports to Congress on pandemic preparedness at regular intervals.

Maj. Gen. Friedrichs is a special assistant to the president and senior director for global health security and biodefense at the National Security Council. His resume includes a long list of duties involving patients and global health initiatives through the Defense Department.

“Over the course of his 37-year career, he has led military hospitals and regional and global health care systems, published multiple medical papers, and consistently sought opportunities to partner with colleagues to improve health care delivery and preparedness,” the White House said.

• Tom Howell Jr. can be reached at thowell@washingtontimes.com.