‘No need to worry, everybody’: Curley skeptical of Russian assurances after lab worker’s suspected plague death

A 28-year-old worker at a Russian plague research institute died after developing pneumonia of unknown origin, prompting precautionary monitoring and questions about a possible plague infection. The diagnosis remained unconfirmed Tuesday, with no additional cases or sustained person-to-person transmission reported, according to CNBC.

John Curley, co-host of “The John Curley Show” on KIRO Newsradio, was skeptical of the assurances about the situation and questioned whether Russian officials would provide accurate information.

“No need to worry, everybody. It’s up there in Siberia. So a woman drops a test tube. She’s 28 years old, and then succumbs to some […] I don’t know, but don’t worry about it,” Curley said sarcastically.

Curley questions information coming from Russia

The worker, Darya Shipilova, worked at the Irkutsk Anti-Plague Institute. Reports that she broke a test tube containing a pathogen remained disputed.

KIRO producer Joe Wallace played a news report describing a U.S. request for Russia to share accurate information about the case.

“You think fast and transparent, don’t you? And that entire government there. My God,” Curley said.

Local reports indicated about 200 people had been placed under medical observation or quarantine. The World Health Organization (WHO) assessed the public health risk as low based on available information, and contacts had not shown symptoms associated with plague.

Secretary of State Marco Rubio explained why the situation is being closely monitored regardless of the severity.

“There’s very limited travel between the U.S. and Russia, obviously, but like anything else, something like that gets out, it could quickly spread. So we’re watching and monitoring it closely,” Rubio said at a press gaggle. “I don’t think it’s cause for alarm, but it is cause for focus and a cause to just keep an eye on it. And we’re doing that.”

Discussion turns to Putin and the war in Ukraine

Curley broadened his criticism to U.S. engagement with Putin and questioned European countries’ willingness to confront Russia.

“They know how weak Britain is. They know how weak France is, and Germany, and they also know they don’t have the money,” Curley said.

He described his view of how Putin might try to pressure NATO members into seeking concessions from Ukraine.

“He thinks he would test NATO and that they wouldn’t have the strength, they wouldn’t have the money, they wouldn’t have the commitment to it, and they would just then put pressure on Ukraine and say, ‘Guys, just give them what they want and move on,’” Curley said. “But in the meantime, that would backfire.”

Curley analyzes the laboratory’s purpose

Returning to the laboratory, Curley responded to a question about why researchers would study plague.

“Well, because they want to be able to, I guess if somebody does come up with a bioweapon, they want to find some way to be able to defuse it, right?” Curley said. “Oh, it’s all defensive.”

The segment did not establish any connection between the worker’s death and weapons research. The institute operates in a region where plague occurs naturally in wild animal populations, according to the WHO.

Watch the full discussion in the video above.

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