Via @KlasfeldReports: courthousenews.com/fired-head-of-…
You can read Dr. Bright's whistleblower complaint here:
documentcloud.org/documents/6890…
@CourthouseNews
![](https://pbs.twimg.com/media/EX-oe8JXgAA68By.png)
Chairman @RepAnnaEshoo begins:
"Our country is in pain, Americans are afraid, they are sick, hungry and jobless and 80,000 souls have been lost. And the government that was supposed to protect them has failed."
Eshoo: The basic delay at the start of this year is what cost lives... because of incompetence, denial, delay and a disorganized response.
His whistleblower complaint was "one of the most troubling I have ever seen" she adds.
documentcloud.org/documents/6890…
Secy Azar, Assistant Secretary for Response and Preparedness Kadlec and Peter Navarro have all "refused to testify"
Eshoo then asked for a moment of silence for the 80k Americans dead.
"I'm concerned it took five months to have a hearing on this novel coronavirus," he says, literally, between light clearing of his throat.
This is a national emergency that requires every aspect of government to work together to reduce the spread of this virus.
POTUS has failed to provide consistent and stable leadership to guide the U.S. through this crisis.
@CourthouseNews
When Bright came in with an attorney, she requested a mic. So, as a courtesy, she received one, but she is not a witness and she will not field any questions.
"she's simply accompanying her client."
While Walden lauds Trump, he says there is still much more to do.
We must find new ways to provide access to mental health and support healthcare workers, including those furloughed because their hospitals are closed, he adds.
Today the world is confronting a public health emergency unlike any we have seen in a century.
Background:
courthousenews.com/rushing-back-w…
Increase public education about the basics, masks, handwashing etc.
We need to ramp up production of supplies, incl. raw components as well.
Bright: The window is closing to address this pandemic because we still do not have a standard, centralized coordinated plan to take our nation through this response.
He met "frustration and dismissal" when he raised the request for the samples with Secy Azar on January 23 and again during what he describes as a "strong push" on Jan 27.
There was no action to develop or distribute that once we had scientific data showed this might help those with the virus, Bright says of remdesivir.
So they proposed ID'ing a source the drug so NIH could conduct a randomized controlled study.
They did this with remdesivir.
But Burgess cuts in.
And then a moment later, anecdotally: "But I've spoken to a lot of doctors who report 'significant benefit' if it's used early enough."
But we move onto the urgent need for funding at the outset of a pandemic.
In his early days with Azar, Bright asked for funding to get vax started and it took some time, he said, but what BARDA did was look internally at other contracts and programs to redirect funding
"Because of those actions, that is why we have made some progress now" he says and adds that the U.S. is now a placeholder for companies developing the vaccines.
Walden: Why were the strains not sent to him though they were available to the U.S. government.
They were distro'ed to labs.
Some viruses came from NIH that rec'd the initial seed from CDC, Bright says.
In terms of going after the vax, it was the sequencing that mattered most to get started, he says.
Next question from Rep Eliot Engel, D-NY.
"When can we expect a vaccine?"
"When we say 12-18 months, that's not an FDA approved vax, that's to have sufficient data on the efficacy to use on an emergency basis."
These included HHS emails which, since removal, he doesn't have access to
Once he confirmed the shortage, it was critical to find a solution, so they partnered with DoD who worked with BARDA for Ebola response years before.
So, Bright went to Navarro to request assistance with transport from DoD and he got it, to Navarro's credit, Butterfield acknowledges.
What was the great hesitancy to let doctors try? Wouldnt you need that to do the test?
Griffith: You're not worried about an irregular heartbeat if you dont have one at all. Here was the first drug that showed some promise. Why wouldnt we want to try this?
Bright: There were some attempts to bypass the rigorous vetting process that caused me great concern and increased the tension between me and Dr. Kadlec.
Yes, they are considered frontline equipment to keep health care workers from getting infected.
She notes:
latimes.com/california/sto…