OF THE
TIMES
The coronavirus pandemic caught the public by surprise while exposing in stark detail, the disconnect between reality, and initial false reassurances by public health officials who had claimed that government safeguards are in place to protect us in the event of the emergence of a dangerous infectious disease or a bioterrorist attack. The Food and Drug Administration (FDA) website assures the public that:For Autocrats, and Others, Coronavirus Is a Chance to Grab Even More Power
"As the coronavirus pandemic brings the world to a juddering halt and anxious citizens demand action, leaders across the globe are invoking executive powers and seizing virtually dictatorial authority with scant resistance.
As the new laws broaden state surveillance, allow governments to detain people indefinitely and infringe on freedoms of assembly and expression, they could also shape civic life, politics and economies for decades to come." The New York Times, March 31, 2020
"FDA's division, the Center for Biologics Evaluation and Research (CBER) has been very active in developing medical countermeasures and counter bioterrorism and infectious diseases. CBER continues to be very active in supporting US Government's initiatives to develop medical countermeasures and counter bioterrorism and emerging infectious diseases, including pandemic influenza."
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