By Nikhila Natarajan

New York, Nov 19 (IANS): In a stark change from Donald Trump's theatrics, US president-elect Joe Biden sat down for a virtual discussion with frontline healthcare workers drawn from across the country and tore into the Trump administrations obstruction tactics which are delaying critical information exchanges essential to save lives, distribute vaccines and protective stockpiles during a raging pandemic.

Biden's remarks come on a day when the US has crossed 250,000 deaths from the coronavirus.

"Soon we're going to be behind by weeks and months being able to put together the whole initiative relating to the biggest promise we have with two drug companies coming along and finding 95 per cent effectiveness, efficiency in the vaccines, which is enormous promise," he said.

"So I just want to tell you that that's the only slowdown right now that we have."

During the conversation, Biden promised to make funding for local and state governments a priority after Trump leaves office.

Biden suggested that Republicans have resisted Democrats' demand for local funding as part of a pandemic-relief package "because of their fear" about how Trump would react.

"Hopefully, when he's gone, they'll be more willing to do what they know should be done, has to be done, in order to save the communities they live in," Biden said.