Dr. Anthony Fauci, the former White House chief medical adviser, responded to criticism after a study was released showing that face masks had little to no effect in preventing the spread of the COVID-19 pandemic.
The medical professional was immediately the target of conservative critics following his acknowledgment of the study during a Saturday interview. While he agreed with the findings, he argued that, at an individual level, other research showed that face masks were effective at curbing the spread of the coronavirus.
Fauci on New Mask Study
Talking to CNN host Michael Smerconish, Fauci said, "When you're talking about the effect on the epidemic or the pandemic as a whole, the data are less strong. But there are other studies, Michael, that show at an individual level, for individuals," they might be protective.
Additionally, the former White House chief medical adviser said that, at the moment, they are no longer talking about requiring people to do anything. In a social media post on X, formerly known as Twitter, Kentucky Sen. Rand Paul criticized Fauci, as per the New York Post.
The Republican lawmaker said that the medical professional, while admitting that masks do not work for the public at large, continued to claim that they work individually. Another critic, TRIGGERnometry podcast co-host Konstantin Kisin, sarcastically said what Fauci said made sense.
Clay Travis, a host for Outkick, a ring-wing and conservative sports news outlet, said that Fauci confronted bullet-proof scientific evidence, which took three years to come out. Conservative commentator Buck Sexton added that the medical professional said, "some numerical illiteracy bulls**t about 'individual protection.' He's a fraud and a liar."
On the other hand, former senior White House and US Intelligence Community official Cliff Sims said it was challenging to see Fauci's mistakes made in good faith if he refused to acknowledge facts easily understood even by non-professionals.
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Widespread Criticism
Despite the study's findings, Fauci continued to urge the public to follow advice from health officials, expressing concern that Americans would not be willing to listen to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) recommendations. He said that this should be true even if masking becomes mandatory once more, according to The Hill.
Several companies have already begun urging their employees to wear face masks, a situation that has raised concerns that national recommendations may be needed again. Fauci was previously the face of the COVID response in the United States under the past two administrations.
The study in question was from the respected British database Cochrane, claiming that face masks made little or no difference. The study's results quickly became viral among anti-mask and COVID-skeptic communities in spring. However, fact-checkers have criticized it as being misleading.
Fauci's remarks come as the CDC recorded an increase of 19% in COVID hospitalizations and an increase of 18% in deaths in the last week. According to the National Review, public health experts have also started to call for a return to masking despite the US having more tools to fight against the virus than in the first year of the pandemic.
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