In case you were wondering if there had been any serious consequences from the cavalier attitude in the White House towards Covid-19, at least one person has experienced them.
The director of the White House security office has spent more than three months in hospital following a Covid-19 diagnosis, which caused him to lose a toe on his left foot and his whole right foot and lower leg, according to a family friend helping to raise $50,000 for his mounting healthcare costs.
As first reported by Bloomberg, Crede Bailey was among officials connected to cluster outbreaks at the White House that began in September; roughly 50 staffers and officials – including Donald Trump, who was hospitalised for three days – have tested positive for the disease caused by the coronavirus.
And if there’s one more element to this story, this is the capper.
“Crede beat Covid-19 but it came at a significant cost: his big toe on his left foot as well as his right foot and lower leg had to be amputated,” according to a 7 December update from Dawn McCrobie, who organised a GoFundMe campaign to assist with healthcare costs.
The campaign has raised more than $37,000, as of Monday. He is “doing well – he is working hard on himself and is anxious to return home as soon as he is physically able,” according to an update posted on 14 December.
This is the administration that has tried to overturn the Affordable Care Act in the middle of a pandemic. They can not plead ignorance of the costs it can inflict on people who become ill with it, not when they can see it among their own.
The White House has declined to state whether Trump has donated to the campaign. Bailey’s medical expenses are reported to be astronomical; his house will also need to be adapted to his needs and he will need a modified vehicle.
Bailey and his family are not speaking with the press, and have asked friends to keep silent as well.
A Bloomberg report has additional details:
Bailey’s office handles credentialing for access to the White House complex and works closely with the U.S. Secret Service on security measures. Bailey was known on the compound as a strong Trump supporter.
The president has repeatedly minimized the risk from Covid-19 since the beginning of the pandemic, both before and after he was hospitalized with the disease Oct. 2-5.
Doctors are still learning about the extent to which the coronavirus can damage the body, but loss of blood flow is one possible consequence. The virus is known to attack the vascular system and can cause deadly blood clots.
It is Mr. Bailey’s particular misfortune that he had a life-threatening pre-existing condition: he was not a celebrity in President-reject Trump’s circle.
Here’s wishing Mr. Bailey a recovery to the fullest extent that can be accomplished. For the 300,000 who have been lost, the thousands more yet to be casualties, for those left with long term consequences — much remains to be done. The vaccine may have finally arrived today, but there is still a long road ahead.
We erect memorials to those dead in war to honor their memory and their sacrifice. The casualties of the pandemic have reached that level. It would not be remiss to consider what would would be appropriate to commemorate them and those who have fought so hard to fight the pandemic.
Lest we forget...