A FRONTLINE Covid-19 doctor has been filmed slamming air displays in support of healthcare workers as a waste of money.
In the video the doctor, clad in a lab coat and face mask, pleads with President Trump to spend the millions of dollars on personal protective equipment instead.
The air shows, performed by The Air Force Thunderbirds and the Navy’s Blue Angels cost a reported $60,000 per hour says the Washington Post.
And with 92 having taken place across the country, that’s an estimated cost of $5 million.
In the footage the medic, who goes by the name Dr Bill, says: “’m Dr. Bill. I’m as patriotic as the next guy but I read today they’re going to have the Blue Angels and other Air Force flying wizards flyover many cities for healthcare workers to show their support.
“You want to help healthcare workers? These are the damn N-95 masks we have to deal with, these are painters masks. Get us equipment. Get us PPE.
“Get us N-95 masks…Get us tests for everybody. Okay?”
He continues: “Don’t flyover something so we can see some crap, $450,000, to make the president look good,” although it’s not clear where that number comes from.
Dr Bill concludes: “You want to help healthcare workers, take that same money and feed the people in the inner city who have nothing to eat.
“Help the food care workers who are working. Help the food industry people. Don’t flyover and say oh aren’t they great? Let’s be real.”
On May 12, the jets roared over Chicago, Detroit and Indianapolis in support of healthcare workers, drawing huge crowds and applause.
According to the Navy and Air Force the flyovers come at no additional cost to taxpayers.
They said: “Pilots must execute a minimum number of flight hours to maintain proficiency.”
“This is also our way of showing that we are all in this together and that America’s spirit will prevail,” Air Force Gen. Dave Goldfein said in a news release on the flyovers.
The air shows have been organised by the Department of Defense as part of a scheme to up morale amid the coronavirus pandemic.
The aim is to “keep America strong” in “collaborative salute”.
Last month, President Trump said of the flyovers: “This is a tribute to them, to our warriors because they’re equal warriors to those incredible pilots and all of the fighters that we have for the more traditional fights that we win.”
It comes as some 6,169 hospitals and healthcare centers from across all 50 states put out requests for vital protective equipment via volunteer organization GetUsPPE.
And the US Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) estimated at the beginning of the pandemic the States had roughly 1 per cent of the 3.5 billion N95 masks needed to battle the virus on the front line.
