On November 9, 2020, then President-elect of the United States Joe Biden announced that Murthy would co-chair his COVID-19 Advisory Board, alongside former U.S. Food and Drug Administration commissioner David A. Kessler and Yale public health professor Marcella Nunez-Smith. On December 3, "Politico" reported that Murthy would return to the role of Surgeon General in the Biden administration. His nomination was confirmed by the United States Senate on March 23, 2021 with a 57-43 vote.