Ousted vaccine director files whistleblower complaint alleging coronavirus warnings were ignored
Rick Bright, ousted director of vaccine agency, warns that administration lacks 'centralized, coordinated plan'
How Rick Bright grabbed the spotlight and angered the Trump administration
The crisis could worsen significantly without fast federal action
, Rick Bright says. ...... the Trump administration had failed to prepare for the Covid-19 outbreak and actively misled Americans on its response. ......... He’s the first federal health official to publicly criticize the Trump administration so harshly, and in such detail, given his prominent position in the biomedical world. ....... Trump defenders were nowhere to be found in the House hearing room because they declined to send someone, giving Bright hours of air time and a news cycle’s worth of headlines. ......... “And I believe that the best scientific advice and guidance was not being conveyed to the American public” in the early days of the pandemic. .........Trump has tried to portray Bright as a disgruntled outgoing employee.
......... Bright — who alleges that he was abruptly removed as director of the Biomedical Advanced Research and Development Authority in April because he opposed political pressures linked to malaria drugs — is the first official to actively undermine the president’s claims that the administration has done a “great job” handling the response. ....... “We did not forewarn people. We did not train people. We did not educate them on social distancing and wearing a mask as we should have in January and February.” ........ Bright also testified that he and his team faced pressure from political appointees after President Donald Trump in March began touting malaria drugs like hydroxychloroquine not proved to treat Covid-19, despite scant evidence and at the urging of his allies. ......chloroquine and hydroxychloroquine, the malaria medicines touted by the president as potential coronavirus treatments despite scant evidence that they worked.
....... The focus on the malaria drugs was “extremely distracting” for health officials, Bright responded. “It distracted from their efforts at developing other vaccines and drugs.” ......."Our window of opportunity is closing,” he said. “If we fail to develop a national coordinated response, based in science, I fear the pandemic will get far worse and be prolonged, causing unprecedented illness and fatalities.”
...... “You and others were seeing over the horizon what was coming to our shores” ........ The Office of Special Counsel, which is investigating Bright's complaint, last week recommended that he be temporarily reinstated to his BARDA role until his complaint is resolved. The office said it found "reasonable grounds to believe" that the administration retaliated against Bright.Humankind has never had a more urgent task than creating broad immunity for coronavirus. It’s going to require a global cooperative effort like the world has never seen. But I know we’ll get it done. There’s simply no alternative. https://t.co/lDRkgqJ39k
— Bill Gates (@BillGates) April 30, 2020
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