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U.S. Government Proposed Manipulating CDC Guidelines to Avoid Mask Shortages: Whistleblower:
The U.S. government proposed manipulating information about whether N95 masks worked to fight the spread of coronavirus in the general public, according to Dr. Richard Bright, a whistleblower who testified publicly for the first time on Thursday. The deception was an effort to avoid shortages and keep masks available for U.S. health care workers, but likely had a ripple effect throughout the country, leaving many people to believe that all masks are useless or even harmful during a pandemic. Bright's testimony is the first confirmation from a high-ranking official that the U.S. government actively sought to distribute incorrect information about N95 masks during the covid-19 pandemic.
Dr. Bright told the House Subcommittee on Health on Thursday about his attempts to warn others in the Department of Health and Human Services about the pending shortage of masks in January and early February, just as the novel coronavirus was spreading outside of China. Bright said that officials at the meeting simply said they would change the recommendations put out by the CDC to discourage the general public from buying masks.
"I indicated we know there will be a critical shortage of these supplies. We need to do something to ramp up production," Dr. Bright, the former top vaccine specialist at HHS, said of a meeting with HHS officials on February 7.
"They indicated if we notice there is a shortage, that we will simply change the CDC guidelines to better inform people who should not be wearing those masks, so that would save those masks for our health care workers," Dr. Bright testified.
"My response was, 'I can not believe you can sit and say that with a straight face'," Bright said. "That was absurd."
[...] Dr. Bright's entire 6-hour testimony is available on YouTube, and it's quite damning.
(Score: 1, Funny) by Ethanol-fueled on Sunday May 17 2020, @05:20AM (8 children)
Joe Sixpack, here at least, is past fearmongering bullshit and now believes that "if you're not dead yet, then you don't need no steenkin mask" and I agree with that sentiment.
(Score: 4, Touché) by gtomorrow on Sunday May 17 2020, @12:27PM (4 children)
I can only speak for myself, but I'm willing to bet there's a contingent here that is so happy to hear you say that. I'm (we're) just waiting for you to put your money where your large mouth is.
Remember to breathe deeply, then convene only with like-minded individuals in some secluded area.
(Score: 0) by Anonymous Coward on Sunday May 17 2020, @12:58PM (2 children)
This comment deserves a standing ovulation.
(Score: 1, Funny) by Anonymous Coward on Sunday May 17 2020, @09:38PM (1 child)
Way to discriminate against women who born with testicles, you bigot.
(Score: 1, Funny) by Anonymous Coward on Monday May 18 2020, @03:00AM
Explain that analogy to me like I'm a 4th yr med student.
(Score: 0) by Anonymous Coward on Sunday May 17 2020, @03:44PM
EF doesn't have enough money to do that.
(Score: 2) by JoeMerchant on Sunday May 17 2020, @01:56PM
I'm with you, and I will note that NOBODY is wearing masks in the liquor stores around here.
🌻🌻 [google.com]
(Score: 2) by Nobuddy on Monday May 18 2020, @02:52PM
Thank you for this great example of how this distorted information has fooled idiots in to thinking the pandemic response measures is fearmongering.
(Score: 2) by All Your Lawn Are Belong To Us on Monday May 18 2020, @03:20PM
And Joe Sickpack really doesn't care about whom he infects and ends up killing, either, would be my guess. Joe Sixpack also can't do math to calculate what the odds of death are should he with his pristine unexposed lungs gets it, let alone serious complications which may not kill him but make him realize how badly he screwed that call up.
This sig for rent.