NEW YORK — The person who attacked the CDC headquarters in Atlanta on Friday fired greater than 180 photographs into the campus and broke about 150 home windows, with bullets piercing “blast-resistant” home windows and spattering glass shards into quite a few rooms, in accordance with info circulated internally on the company.
It could take weeks and even months to switch home windows and clear up the injury, Facilities for Illness Management and Prevention personnel mentioned.
A Georgia man who had blamed the COVID-19 vaccine for making him depressed and suicidal opened hearth late Friday, killing a police officer. Nobody at CDC was injured.
The shooter was stopped by CDC safety guards earlier than driving to a close-by pharmacy and opening hearth late Friday afternoon, a regulation enforcement official has advised the AP. The official wasn’t licensed to publicly focus on the investigation and spoke on situation of anonymity. The 30-year-old man, Patrick Joseph White, later died, however authorities haven’t mentioned whether or not he was killed by police or killed himself.
U.S. Well being Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. toured the CDC campus on Monday. CDC safety identified damaged home windows throughout a number of buildings, together with the primary guard sales space, in accordance with a U.S. Division of Well being and Human Companies assertion.
HHS Deputy Secretary Jim O’Neill and CDC Director Susan Monarez accompanied him, in accordance with the assertion.
Kennedy additionally visited the DeKalb County Police Division, the place he met with the police chief. He additionally met privately with the widow of the fallen officer, David Rose.
Monarez posted a press release on social media Friday night time that mentioned a minimum of 4 CDC buildings have been hit within the assault.
The extent of the injury turned extra clear throughout a weekend CDC management assembly. Two CDC workers who have been advised about what was mentioned on the assembly described particulars to The Related Press on situation of anonymity as a result of they weren’t licensed to disclose the data. Particulars additionally have been additionally in an company memo seen by an AP reporter.
Constructing 21, which homes Monarez’s workplace, was hit by the biggest variety of bullets. CDC officers didn’t say if her workplace was hit.
CDC workers have been suggested to do business from home this week.
Kennedy issued a press release Saturday that mentioned “no one should face violence while working to protect the health of others,” and that high federal well being officers have been ”actively supporting CDC workers.”
He didn’t communicate to the media throughout his go to Monday.
A retired CDC official, Stephan Monroe, mentioned he nervous concerning the long-term influence the assault would have on younger scientists’ willingness to go to work for the federal government.
“I’m concerned that this is this is going to be a generational hit,” mentioned Monroe, chatting with a reporter close to the nook the place a poster had been arrange in honor of Rose.
Kennedy was a frontrunner in a nationwide anti-vaccine motion earlier than President Donald Trump chosen him to supervise federal well being companies, and has made false and deceptive statements concerning the security and effectiveness of about COVID-19 photographs and different vaccines.
Years of false rhetoric about vaccines and public well being was certain to “take a toll on people’s mental health,” and “leads to violence,” mentioned Tim Younger, a CDC worker who retired in April.
Dr. Jerome Adams, the U.S. surgeon basic throughout President Donald Trump’s first administration, mentioned Sunday that well being leaders ought to recognize the load of their phrases.
“We have to understand people are listening,” Adams advised “Face the Nation” on CBS. “When you make claims that have been proven false time and time again about safety and efficacy of vaccines, that can cause unintended consequences.”
