Whistleblower says HHS sent workers to handle possible coronavirus patients without gear, training

The Department of Health and Human Services “improperly deployed” more than a dozen workers to two California military bases receiving Americans evacuated from coronavirus without giving them training or protective gear for handling the possibly high-risk patients, according to a new whistleblower complaint.

The whistleblower alleged that HHS officials shot down her concerns and on Feb. 15 threatened to fire her if she did not accept a reassignment. The workers who may have been exposed to the coronavirus then were able to travel freely among the public, the complaint reportedly said.

"We are hopeful that Congress and the OSC [the U.S. Office of the Special Counsel] will investigate this case in a timely and comprehensive manner," the whistleblower's attorney, Lauren Naylor, told Fox News, adding that the team could not provide a public copy of the complaint. "This matter concerns HHS’s response to the coronavirus, and its failure to protect its employees and potentially the public. The retaliatory efforts to intimidate and silence our client must be opposed."

The New York Times and The Washington Post first reported the story. Zachary Kurz, the communications director for the U.S. Office of the Special Counsel, confirmed to Fox News that the Office of Special Counsel has received the HHS whistleblower’s complaint and the case has been assigned.