Quarantined Nurse’s Scorching Anti-CDC Rant Goes Viral: ‘I’m Appalled at the Level of Bureaucracy’ on Coronavirus Testing

Reed RichardsonMar 5th, 2020, 10:29 pm
 

Quarantined Nurse Offers Scorching Anti-CDC Rant About Refusal to Test Her

National Nurses Union President Deborah Burger released a scathing statement from a quarantined nurse criticizing the CDC for its purported refusal to test her for coronavirus even though she had been exposed to the pathogen.

The union leader released a video on Thursday afternoon where she read out the complaints from an anonymous nurse working at a health facility in northern California. At a White House press conference earlier that same day, Vice President Mike Pence admitted that “we don’t have enough tests” to meet the skyrocketing demand for diagnosing infections as coronavirus continues to spread throughout the country and take more lives.

“As a nurse, I’m very concerned that not enough is being done to stop the spread of coronavirus,” Burger said, reading the nurse’s statement. “I know because I am currently sick in quarantine after caring for a patient who tested positive. I am awaiting permission from the federal government to allow for my testing even after my physician and county health professional ordered the test.”

“The national CDC would not initiate the test,” the statement continued, claiming that the health agency justified its decision by effectively blamed the nurse for exposing herself to the virus. “They said they would not test me because if I were wearing the recommended protective equipment then I wouldn’t have the coronavirus. What kind of science-based answer is that? What a ridiculous and uneducated response from the department that is in charge of the health of this country.”

The nurse then claimed that the CDC later contacted her to tell her that the delay in testing her was due to an “identifier number” and its decision to prioritize testing based on illness severity because of the limited amount of test kits.

“This is not a ticket dispenser at a deli counter. It’s a public health emergency,” the statement concluded. “I’m a registered nurse and I need to know if I’m positive before going back to care for patients. I’m appalled at the level of bureaucracy that’s preventing nurses from getting tested. Delaying this test puts the whole community at risk.”

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