New York Metropolis’s well being commissioner blew off an pressing NYPD request for 500,000 surgical masks because the coronavirus disaster mounted — telling a high-ranking police official that “I don’t give two rats’ asses about your cops,” The Publish has discovered.
Dr. Oxiris Barbot made the heartless comment throughout a quick telephone dialog in late March with NYPD Chief of Division Terence Monahan, sources aware of the matter stated Wednesday.
Monahan requested Barbot for 500,000 masks however she stated she might solely present 50,000, the sources stated.
“I don’t give two rats’ asses about your cops,” Barbot stated, in response to sources.
“I want them for others.”
The dialog came about as rising numbers of cops had been calling out sick with signs of COVID-19 however earlier than the division suffered its first casualties from the lethal respiratory illness, sources stated.
Though surgical masks don’t essentially forestall wearers from being contaminated with the coronavirus, they'll forestall folks from spreading it to others.
The NYPD has recorded 5,490 instances of coronavirus amongst its 55,000 cops and civilian employees, with 41 deaths, in response to figures launched Wednesday night.
Within the wake of Barbot’s crass rebuff of Monahan, NYPD officers discovered that the Division of Well being and Psychological Hygiene had a big stash of masks, ventilators and different tools saved in a New Jersey warehouse, sources stated.
The division appealed to Metropolis Corridor, which organized for the NYPD to get 250,000 surgical masks, sources stated.
The federal Division of Homeland Safety and the Federal Emergency Administration Company additionally discovered in regards to the state of affairs, main FEMA to produce the NYPD with Tyvek fits and disinfectant, sources stated.
A supply who was current throughout a tabletop train on the metropolis Workplace of Emergency Administration headquarters in Brooklyn in March recalled witnessing a “very tense second” when Monahan complained to Mayor de Blasio in entrance of Barbot in regards to the NYPD’s want for private protecting tools, saying, “For weeks, we haven’t gotten a solution.”
De Blasio, who was seated between Monahan and Barbot, requested her, “Oxiris what's he speaking about?” the supply stated.
When Monahan stated the gear was important to holding cops secure, de Blasio stated, “You undoubtedly want it,” and informed Barbot, “Oxiris, you’re going to repair this proper now,” the supply stated.
Final week, Barbot — who’s been a routine participant in de Blasio’s day by day coronavirus briefings — was noticeably absent when Blasio introduced that town’s public hospital system would oversee a significant testing and tracing program, although the DOH has beforehand run related packages.
Hizzoner additionally heaped reward on the top of NYC Well being + Hospitals, Dr. Mitchell Katz, saying, “When you may have an impressed operational chief, , move the ball to them is my angle.”
De Blasio named Barbot town’s well being commissioner in 2018 following the resignation of Dr. Mary Bassett, who took a job at Harvard College’s Faculty of Public Well being amid an investigation into the DOH’s failure to alert federal officers to elevated ranges of lead within the blood of kids dwelling in metropolis housing tasks.
“Through the top of COVID, whereas our hospitals had been battling to maintain sufferers alive, there was a heated alternate between the 2 the place issues had been stated out of frustration however no hurt was wished on anybody,” Division of Well being press secretary Patrick Gallahue stated, noting that Barbot “apologized for her contribution to the alternate.”
The NYPD declined to remark.
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