A top government scientist fired last month has filed a whistleblower complaint accusing officials of ignoring his coronavirus warnings

Rick Bright, recently ousted director of the Biomedical Advanced Research and Development Authority, or BARDA, is seen in his official government handout portrait photo from the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services taken in Washington, U.S. in 2017.U.S. Department of Health and Human Services/Handout via REUTERS

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Dr. Rick Bright, the former director of the Biomedical Advanced Research and Development Authority (BARDA), filed a whistleblower complaint on Tuesday accusing the Department of Health and Human Services of ignoring his early warnings about the novel coronavirus outbreak, CNN reported.

Bright was ousted by the HHS last month, and The New York Times reported that Bright claimed he was fired for resisting the White House's push to use the anti-malarial drug hydroxychloroquine as a treatment for coronavirus, despite a lack of robust evidence proving its effectiveness.Advertisement

According to CNN, Bright alleges in his whistleblower complaint that he raised early red flags about the US's preparedness for the coronavirus, which the World Health Organization declared a pandemic in March. Bright reportedly claims he warned about a potential US outbreak as early as January but was met with "indifference which then developed into hostility" by top brass at HHS.

CNN reported that Bright's lawyers claim his ouster violates the Whistleblower Protection Act and that the scientist has "engaged in numerous instances of protected activity."

Bright filed the complaint with the Office of Special Counsel, a government watchdog that oversees whistleblower complaints. He is now asking to be reinstated as the head of BARDA and a full investigation into the circumstances of his dismissal.Advertisement
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