US President-elect Joe Biden is “very interested” in Australia’s success so far in managing the COVID-19 pandemic, Prime Minister Scott Morrison has said.
Mr Morrison and Mr Biden spoke on the phone on Thursday for the first time since Mr Biden claimed victory in the US presidential election.
Speaking after a National Cabinet meeting on Friday, Mr Morrison said during the call the president-elect had invited Australia to share its learnings about containing the spread of the virus, as he prepared to take the reigns of the White House.
Mr Morrison said he would forward a copy of the National Contact Tracing Review to the Biden transition team as well as the Trump administration. The review, from Chief Scientist Alan Finkel, looks at how the states and territories have managed virus outbreaks.
“He was very interested in Australia’s success,” Mr Morrison told reporters on Friday.
“And it’s obviously the top of his priority list, as he’s been saying himself. And I wish him all the best.
“I wish President Trump all the best in dealing with what is just an awful, an awful situation there.”
The US is being ravaged by the COVID-19 pandemic and is continually breaking grim records.
More than 100,000 new cases have been recorded daily in America for a week, with the death toll soaring past 24,000.
On Friday, the country recorded more than 152,000 new cases – the first time daily cases have risen above 150,000 since the pandemic began.
Hospitals are reportedly being overwhelmed, with hospitalisations for the virus jumping to over 67,000, according to the COVID Tracking Project.
Mr Morrison said Australia’s approach was being noticed around the world.
