WASHINGTON, October 21 (RIA Novosti) - Newly-appointed US "Ebola Czar" Ronald Klain will not be testifying at the United States House of Representatives hearing on Ebola on Friday, Principal Deputy Press Secretary for the White House Eric Schultz said.
“Klain will be starting work on Wednesday. It is not that long of a lapse," Shultz stated Monday, adding that the onboarding process normally "takes weeks or months."
However, the learning curve for Klain could be speeded up, because he has previously served in the administration, said Shultz.
US President Barack Obama named Ron Klain an "Ebola czar", responsible for dealing with the virus outbreak in the United States last week.
Klain previously served as a chief of staff for both current US Vice President Joseph Biden, Jr. and former US Vice President Al Gore.
On Saturday, Obama called on Americans not to "give in to hysteria or fear" over the Ebola virus. Obama stressed that the United States is not facing an epidemic, as only three cases of Ebola infection have been registered in the country.
The current Ebola outbreak began in southern Guinea in February and later spread to Liberia, Sierra Leone, Nigeria, and Senegal, with several Ebola cases having been reported outside of West Africa. According to the latest estimates from the World Health Organization (WHO), Ebola has claimed the lives of over 4,500 people.
