Listen to this article

The coronavirus whistleblower Dr. Rick Bright said he was dropped from his position leading a key federal health agency after sounding the alarm about the coronavirus epidemic. He claimed he was initially removed from high-level meetings by the Trump administration during growing concerns of supply shortages. On Thursday, the former director of BARDA (Biomedical Advanced Research and Development Authority) was called in front of the House Committee on Energy and Commerce’s health subcommittee to address the epidemic and his 89-page explosive complaint. Bright also called for an increase in the production of critical medical supplies, including PPEs (personal protective and testing equipment). He said that it was started in January and those alarms weren’t responded to with action and he faced hostility and marginalization from the DHHS officials.

Bright said, “I was told my urging was causing a commotion and I was removed from those meetings”. He claimed more lives were lost because of supply shortages that followed after a lack of preparedness from the Trump administration and government entities. He said, “Lives were endangered, and I believe lives were lost. “Not only that, but we were also forced to procure the supplies from other countries without the right quality standards, so even our doctors and nurses in the hospitals today are wearing N95-marked masks from other countries that are not providing the sufficient protection that a US-standard N95 mask would provide them.” Point to be noted that whistleblower complaint from Dr. Bright alleged he was later removed from his key leadership position.

It is noteworthy that Bright challenged the promotion of the drug hydroxychloroquine, which Donald Trump initially advertised as a game-changer drug against Covid-19. He is now a senior advisor with the National Institutes of Health (NIH). Republicans attempted to challenge Dr. Bright and the concerns he raised against hydroxychloroquine during the hearing. He said, “There were some attempts to bypass that rigorous vetting process that caused me great concern. Most of the data coming out hasn’t shown a clinical benefit to those patients. In the context of a randomized study, we have not seen a clinical benefit.”