The Washington Post is just reporting that a whistle blower is seeking federal protection for submitting a complaint that more than a dozen workers dealing with the first Americans evacuated from Wuhan, China did so “without proper training for infection control or appropriate protective gear.” The report states that HHS staff from the Administration for Children and Families were sent to assist in dealing with the repatriated Americans on the chartered flights from Wuhan and worked at two military bases in California and Texas where the passengers were quarantined.
At times, the complaint says these HHS staff were seen “working alongside personnel from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention in ‘full gown, gloves and hazmat attire’ without any protective gear at all.
The real bombshell? The first U.S. transmission of the corona virus is being investigated in Solano County, CA just miles from Travis Air Force base where some of the Wuhan flights landed.
The whistle blower is a decorated HHS staff member with decades of experience in the field. She apparently raised concerns to administrators about the lack of preparation, training, protective gear, or follow-up testing for the personnel from ACF, the Administration for Children and Families — a unit that has experience in similar events like floods and fires. And THAT’S what got her in trouble:
The whistleblower is seeking federal protection, alleging she was unfairly and improperly reassigned after raising concerns about the safety of these workers to HHS officials, including those within the office of Health and Human Services Secretary Alex Azar. She was told Feb. 19 that if she does not accept the new position in 15 days, which is March 5, she would be terminated.
In other words, she was sent packing to cover up the incompetence of Alex Azar.
Interestingly, the whistle blower made sure that her complaint was sent to Rep. Jimmy Gomez (D-Calif.), a member of the House Ways and Means committee and vice chair of the House Oversight Committee. Before information about the whistle blower complaint was published in the WaPo a few hours ago, Gomez faced HHS Secretary Azar in a House committee hearing and grilled him about the precautions taken to protect HHS staff during the Wuhan repatriation flights:
Asked what sort of health and safety training the personnel received and whether any of them were exposed to high-risk evacuees from China, Azar said: “They never should have been without P.P.E,” referring to personal protective equipment.
Asked whether any protocols may have been broken, given the urgency on the ground, Azar replied urgency was never a reason for breaking safety protocols.
“I don’t believe that has taken place,” Azar said, adding that health and safety protocols “should always be followed.”
Of course, Azar’s office had already been notified about the problem by the whistle blower prior to today’s committee testimony. It’s impossible not to assume that Azar sat in a House committee room today and directly lied.
TL;DR? The Trump administration is very likely responsible for the first transmission of the Covid-19 virus inside the United States. This is a pretty big turd in the punch bowl.