Coronavirus: ousted US vaccine director Rick Bright predicts ‘darkest winter’ if pandemic response lags
- Official, who says he was sidelined after refusing to push Trump-backed Covid-19 treatment, is expected to sound alarm when testifying before Congress
- Bright filed whistle-blower complaint following removal as head of agency charged with developing coronavirus vaccine
An ousted US health official will warn Congress on Thursday that Americans face their “darkest winter” in decades if the country fails to deploy a coordinated response against the coronavirus pandemic.
Rick Bright is expected to sound the alarm about inadequate countermeasures when he testifies at a congressional hearing.
“Our window of opportunity is closing,” Bright will tell a House health subcommittee, according to his testimony released on Wednesday.
“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.”
02:42
According to Bright’s testimony, “without clear planning and implementation of the steps that I and other experts have outlined, 2020 will be darkest winter in modern history”.