The former top US health official Dr. Rick Bright, told the US Congress on Thursday that the country may face its “darkest winter in modern history” due to the current pandemic.
He said:
“Our window of opportunity is closing. 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. Without better planning, 2020 could be the darkest winter in modern history.”
Before now, the expert said he was removed from his job as director of the Biomedical Advanced Research and Development Authority (BARDA) last month due to some concerns he raised over a coronavirus treatment supported by the President, Donald Trump. The President called him “a disgruntled employee” and said he should “no longer be working in government”.
He filed a whistleblower complaint earlier this week concerning this issue and the Federal agency seems to have reasons believing that it was a retaliation against the good Doctor thereby, demanding that Bright should be reinstated as director of BARDA while investigation is ongoing.
Why Dr. Rick Bright was ‘ousted’ (removed from office)?
Dr. Bright says he was removed because he expressed concerns towards the publication of an article on chloroquine and hydrochloroquine being potential treatment for Covid-19. He also admitted he was a source of the artcle however, his concerns were based on the fact that the drugs were unproven and therefore unfit as treatment for covid-19 patients.
Meanwhile, Donald Trump refers to the antimalarial drugs as ” potential game-changer” for treatment and recommended it even though it has a limited evidence of its effectiveness.
The good Doctor was not going to let the governemnt (particularly, the Department of Health and Human Services) stop him as he said in his complaint that they “refused to listen” so, he talked to a journalist instead in order to protect the public “from drugs which he believed constituted a substantial and specific danger to public health and safety.”
