Whistleblower immunologist to warn of potential coronavirus rebound in the fall, making for the 'darkest winter in modern history' during congressional testimony

• Whistleblower immunologist Dr. Rick Bright plans to testify to Congress about the threat of a coronavirus rebound in the fall, and without proper prevention measures: "2020 will be darkest winter in modern history," he wrote in his prepared testimony.
• Bright previously worked as director of the Biomedical Advanced Research and Development Authority (BARDA), which is overseen by the Health and Human Services Department (HHS).
• Bright, who claims he was ousted for refusing to tout Trump-backed coronavirus treatments, is set to appear before House Energy and Commerce Committee on Thursday.
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The United States could face the "darkest winter in modern history" from a coronavirus case rebound, according to a whistleblower scientist who claims he was ousted for "resisting the White House's push to use the anti-malarial drug hydroxychloroquine as a treatment for coronavirus," as Business Insider previously reported.

Immunologist Dr. Rick Bright plans to relay the stark prediction during his congressional testimony, the Associated Press reported. Bright is set to appear before House Energy and Commerce Committee on Thursday.

"The undeniable fact is there will be a resurgence of (COVID-19) this fall, greatly compounding the challenges of seasonal influenza and putting an unprecedented strain on our health care system," Bright wrote in his prepared testimony, according to the AP.

"Without clear planning and implementation of the steps that I and other experts have outlined, 2020 will be darkest winter in modern history."

Bright's name rose in headlines after he was removed from his position as director of the Biomedical Advanced Research and Development Authority (BARDA), which is overseen by the Health and Human Services Department (HHS). During his 10-year run at BARDA, Bright and the rest of the team focused on "developing and procuring counter-measures such as vaccines and treatments," AP reported.

Despite having received an "outstanding" performance review, he claimed he was ousted for refusing to tout Trump-backed coronavirus treatments — anti-malaria drugs chloroquine and hydroxychloroquine. He later filed a whistleblower complaint, accusing the HHS of ignoring his early warnings about the coronavirus threat.

President Donald Trump dismissed Bright's accusations, saying that he was a "disgruntled guy."

But the immunologist disputed the characterization in an interview with 60 Minutes, saying he was "frustrated at a lack of urgency to get a head-start on developing life-saving tools for Americans."

"Our window of opportunity is closing," Bright continued in the written testimony for Thursday's hearing. "If we fail to develop a national coordinated response, based in science, I fear the pandemic will get far worse and be prolonged, causing unprecedented illness and fatalities."

The "coordinated response" that Bright mentioned includes establishing a national testing strategy, better educate the public on health safety measures, ramping up production of essential materials for testing and PPE, and creating an equitable distribution system for said supplies, according to AP.

As of Wednesday, the US reported more than 1.3 million cases nationwide, with a death toll surpassing 84,000.

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