By Jeff Mason
WASHINGTON (Reuters) - Dr. Deborah Birx, the former Trump White House Coronavirus Task Force coordinator, will join ActivePure Technology, a Texas manufacturer that says its products reduce COVID-19 on surfaces and in the air, the company told Reuters.
Birx, who was criticized for not standing up to former President Donald Trump as he played down the virus and spread misinformation about its transmission, will be chief scientific and medical adviser, ActivePure Chief Executive Joseph Urso said.
ActivePure Technology, based in Dallas, makes air purifiers that it says cleans COVID-19 from the air within minutes and from surfaces within hours.
Birx, an expert in global health, came to the White House at the beginning of the pandemic to help lead the Trump administration's response. But her reputation suffered as Trump repeatedly predicted the virus would disappear and made dangerous suggestions, such as questioning at a news briefing whether ingesting bleach would help cure infected Americans.
While her friend and former mentor, Dr. Anthony Fauci, was promoted to become a top medical adviser to Democratic President Joe Biden, Birx did not get a job in the new administration. Her decision to join ActivePure brings cachet to its technology.