Biden picks South Florida teen to help solve our COVID problems. Great choice! | Opinion

The young ones — they’re making a difference. We’re specifically speaking of Vincent Toranzo, a high school student from Broward County.

On Wednesday, Toranzo, 18 and a senior at Pembroke Pines Charter School, was one of only12 people from across the country named to the influential Biden-Harris Administration COVID-19 Health Equity Task Force, the White House announced. Very impressive.

Most of the other 11 members are professionals, CEOs and public health experts who run social service agencies, work with the elderly and children, LGBTQ+ and Native American communities.

And then there is Toranzo, an A student and the only teen in the group — no doubt one of the youngest people ever named to such an important task force assigned to help the nation emerge from a global pandemic. Quite an honor.

He’s ‘hyper-dedicated

“Even before he got to high school, Vincent was civically engaged. He is hyper-dedicated to making the world better,’’ Andrew Curry told the Editorial Board. Curry teaches at the charter school and is Toranzo’s Student Government Association advisor.

Toranzo was a tireless grassroots worker intent in getting the youth vote behind the Joe Biden-Kamala Harris ticket. He has served as the State Secretary of the Florida Association of Student Councils, advocating for the inclusion of student voices in their community and was awarded both the U.S. President’s Award for Educational Excellence and a Citizenship Award for School and Public Service.

So here’s how Toranzo’s appointment is a win for us: He’s the only South Floridian on the task force. We need him to present the many hard truths to the task force, many of which he has seen first hand in South Florida, where the rollout of the COVID-19 vaccine has been an undeniable hot mess.

“We need him to tell the task force that South Florida needs to receive more vaccines, appropriate to its population, and to have more locations where the shots are administered.

“We need him to tell his colleagues that the region must find a more age-appropriate way to help our elderly residents get vaccinated. Numbers show they are lagging, stymied by the lack of vaccines, lack of appointments and the lack of an ability to navigate the internet, setting off a cruel scramble for slots. Only one out of four elderly is getting vaccinated in Miami-Dade County.

“We need him to say that Black communities here need ambassadors to help residents overcome their justified fears of a vaccine pushed by the government.

Address inequities

The White House has given the task force a tall order:

A news release announcing its creation said: “As the COVID-19 pandemic continues to plague the country, it has had a disproportionate impact on some of our most vulnerable communities. … These inequities were quickly evident by race, ethnicity, geography, disability, sexual orientation and gender identity.”

The task force will issue a range of recommendations on the equitable allocation of COVID-19 resources and relief funds, effective outreach and communication to underserved populations and improving cultural proficiency within the federal government, the release promised.

Kudos to the new administration for realizing that so many shortcomings have poked a large hole in the efforts to get America vaccinated and should be fixed. President Biden has chosen his task force members with the public’s health top of mind. And congratulations to Toranzo for bringing South Florida’s voice to the table.

This story was originally published February 11, 2021 at 6:00 AM.