Ousted whistleblower warns US is heading toward “darkest winter in modern history”

Dr. Rick Bright, previously the director of a US research agency working on a coronavirus vaccine, testified Thursday morning to a House subcommittee that “without better planning, 2020 could be the darkest winter in modern history.”

Bright warned lawmakers in his testimony before the health subcommittee of the House Energy and Commerce Committee that the US needs to take “simple but critical steps” to control the coronavirus pandemic and head off a disastrous second wave of infections this winter.

“We need to have the right testing for everyone who needs it. We need to be able to trace contacts, isolate, quarantine, and appropriately — while striving to develop a cure,” Bright said. “There will be plenty of time to look back to assess what has happened so we can improve, but right now, we need to focus on getting things right going forward.”

He also told the committee in his opening statement that he believes a Covid-19 vaccine is a question of when, not if, but cautioned that “12 to 18 months is an aggressive schedule and I think it will take longer than that” to manufacture a vaccine.