HHS inspector general to review agency's coronavirus response
The Health and Human Services' Office of Inspector General will conduct a comprehensive review of the agency's coronavirus response efforts, the office told CBS News.
On Friday morning, the World Health Organization upgraded the risk to "very high" that the virus may spread worldwide. News broke Thursday that an HHS official filed a complaint alleging U.S. workers aided coronavirus evacuees without proper protective gear, and then traveled back on commercial flights.
"Protecting the health and well-being of people across the country is a mission we take seriously. We have been monitoring the situation very closely and will conduct a comprehensive review of HHS' coronavirus response efforts. The details of the review are still being coordinated at this time. We will provide more information when it becomes available," said Tesia Williams, a spokeswoman for the HHS Office of Inspector General.
However, this type of review is typical for major epidemics. The HHS OIG has completed several investigations and audits related to the agency's planning and coordination around its international Ebola response efforts, for example.
The Trump administration has been trying to reassure Americans that it has the situation under control. On Thursday, California officials announced they're monitoring 8,400 individuals for the virus, and have one confirmed coronavirus case in which the patient did not travel or come into contact with a known coronavirus patient.
The stock markets are suffering in the wake of the virus, with the Dow Jones plunging again when the market opened, putting U.S. stocks on track for their worst week since the 2008 financial crisis.
— This is a developing story.
— CBS News' Michael Kaplan and Kathryn Watson contributed to this report.
