Former White House chief medical adviser Anthony Fauci was back on Saturday, once again pushing the use of masks and urging people to listen to the recommendations from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) amid a new wave of late summer COVID-19 cases.
“The past several weeks have seen reports from all over the country of a rise in cases and, yes, the CDC reports, COVID-19 hospital admissions are up more than 19% in the most recent week,” CNN host Michael Smerconish told viewers.
“How worried are you that people will not follow advice to wear masks if we get to that?” he asked Fauci.
(Video: YouTube)
“I am concerned that people will not abide by recommendations,” Fauci replied. “… I would hope that if we get to the point that the volume of cases is such and organizations like the CDC recommends, CDC does not mandate anything, recommends that people wear masks, I would hope that people abide by that recommendation and take into account the risks to themselves and their families.”
“And again,” he stressed, “we’re not talking about forcing anybody to do anything.”
Surprisingly, CNN pushed back against the efficacy of masks.
“There is a perception out there by many — how many, I don’t know — that they don’t work and that the data concludes that they didn’t work in the first go around,” Smerconish said. “Respond to that on masks.”
Unsurprisingly, Fauci insisted that masks do, in fact, work.
“There’s no doubt that masks work,” he said. “Different studies give different percentages of advantage of wearing it, but there’s no doubt that the weight of the studies — and there have many many studies — indicate the benefit of wearing masks.”
Smerconish pressed harder, citing a recent New York Times opinion piece by Bret Stephens who wrote, in part:
The most rigorous and comprehensive analysis of scientific studies conducted on the efficacy of masks for reducing the spread of respiratory illnesses — including Covid-19 — was published late last month. Its conclusions, said Tom Jefferson, the Oxford epidemiologist who is its lead author, were unambiguous.
“There is just no evidence that they” — masks — “make any difference,” he told the journalist Maryanne Demasi. “Full stop.”
But, wait, hold on. What about N-95 masks, as opposed to lower-quality surgical or cloth masks?
“Makes no difference — none of it,” said Jefferson.
What about the studies that initially persuaded policymakers to impose mask mandates?
“They were convinced by nonrandomized studies, flawed observational studies.”
What about the utility of masks in conjunction with other preventive measures, such as hand hygiene, physical distancing or air filtration?
“There’s no evidence that many of these things make any difference.”
“How do we get beyond that finding of that particular review?” Smerconish asked.
In a stunning display of mental gymnastics, Fauci argued that masks may not have provided protection from the pandemic “as a whole,” but they somehow protected people at “an individual level.”
“When you’re talking about the effect on the epidemic or the pandemic as a whole, the data is less strong,” he said. “But when you talk about, as an individual basis of someone protecting themselves or protecting themselves from spreading it to others, there’s no doubt that there are many studies that show that there is an advantage.”
“When you look at the broad population level… the data are less firm with regard to the effect on the overall pandemic,” he explained. “But we’re not talking about that. We’re talking about an individual’s effect on their own safety.”
Fauci’s “double-speak” didn’t impress folks on X.
“LOL. This is Orwellian double-speak and shows that Fauci has NO IDEA what Real Science looks like,” said one user. “How sad: it’s called CYA all the way to the bank.”
“This Fauci is such the master of spin,” noted another.
“Disgusted to see CNN still interviewing Fauci,” stated a third. “The latter claims ‘the CDC didn’t mandate anything’, ignoring the fact that other government entities, schools, and companies believed the lies of the CDC and (with the CDC’s strong encouragement) issued mandates based on those lies.”
LOL. This is Orwellian double-speak and shows that Fauci has NO IDEA what Real Science looks like:( how sad:( it’s called CYA all the way to the bank. @CNN @NIH @CDCgov https://t.co/coonVOR81z
— SerpinA5Mystic Russia is Right! NEGOTIATE! BRICS (@KathrynJane805) September 3, 2023
This Fauci is such the master of spin
— Musk Shadow Crew (@MichaelFuerst8) September 3, 2023
Disgusted to see CNN still interviewing Fauci. The latter claims “the CDC didn’t mandate anything”, ignoring the fact that other government entities, schools, and companies believed the lies of the CDC and (with the CDC’s strong encouragement) issued mandates based on those lies.
— Hugh McAdams (@HughMcAdams) September 2, 2023
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Melissa Fine is the former executive editor of Casino Player, Strictly Slots, and Poker
Digest magazines. She is a UCLA graduate, news junkie, and dedicated Stargate SG-
1 fan. Melissa currently lives with her dog and two cats in a tiny town in the Sierra
Nevada foothills.
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