WhatsNew2Day – Latest News And Breaking Headlines
Dr Anthony Fauci admitted there was a lack of evidence showing mask-wearing had halted the spread of Covid – a far cry from his firmness at the start of the pandemic that the mandate would curb the rise in cases.
The 82-year-old former director of the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases has been called a national Covid czar because he harshly advocated the wearing of masks and social distancing in public.
As soon as April 2020, he told fearful Americans: “If everyone is doing this, we are protecting each other. Because the data exists, it is more effective to prevent it from being transmitted to others than to prevent it from being transmitted to yourself.
People were required to wear masks in schools, public transport, restaurants and workplaces.
But following a series of leaked emails and interviews since the height of the pandemic, Fauci has come under fire for flip-flopping in his beliefs, admitting there was a lack of evidence to suggest that they had worked to stop the spread of the virus.
Dr Fauci, 82, was known as the national Covid czar – and during the pandemic he sternly recommended wearing face coverings. But he was criticized for flip-flopping on his beliefs, as he admitted there was a lack of evidence to suggest they had helped stop the spread of the virus.
He recently said CNN“When talking about the effect on the epidemic or on the pandemic as a whole, the data is less solid.
“But there are other studies that show that on an individual level, for individuals, they might be protective.”
The former health chief was answering questions about a study led by Tom Jefferson, senior associate tutor at the University of Oxford, whose research concluded that “there is simply no evidence that they – masks – make a difference”.
‘Complete stop.’
Fauci’s admission that the data is ‘less robust’ at the population level comes as New Yorkers are asked to consider masking up this Labor Day weekend due to concerns over the increase in Covid cases and two new variants.
A New York City Health Department spokesperson told DailyMail.com that wearing a mask might be a “good idea” in crowded indoor areas this weekend, when people are expected to gather in large groups for the holidays.
But they also said “nothing in the guidelines has changed” and that the city currently has no plans to make masks mandatory.
New York City is currently seeing an increase in Covid cases and hospitalizations caused by the virus.
The latest data suggests the city’s infection rate was around 18 cases per 100,000 people on August 29 – although that’s likely an underestimate as very few people are now testing for the virus.
Hospitalizations are also on the rise, with 502 Covid patients admitted to hospitals in the city as of August 31.
Fauci’s admission that the data is ‘less robust’ at the population level comes as New Yorkers are urged to consider masking up this Labor Day weekend due to concerns over rising Covid cases and two new variants.
People wear face masks as they walk past luxury stores on Rodeo Drive in Beverly Hills on May 19, 2020.
People had to wear masks on public transport and planes during the pandemic
This represents a five percent increase from the previous week. However, that figure remains well below this year’s peak of nearly 2,000 hospitalized patients.
Last summer, in an interview with CBS, Fauci said he didn’t regret his advice regarding mask mandates during the pandemic.
He said: “I don’t regret anything I said then because in the context of the time I said it, it was correct.
“We were told at our task force meetings that we had a serious problem with the lack of PPE and masks for health care providers who put themselves at risk every day to care for sick people.”
In December 2021, Fauci told the public he saw no end to wearing masks on planes: “Even if you have a good filtration system, I still think masks are a prudent thing to do. and we should.”
In December 2022, Dr. Fauci acknowledged that there is some “fatigue” regarding the COVID-19 mandates, even as cases begin to rise in the winter months.
Talk with Fox 5 New YorkFauci said local health officials should be the ones to call about COVID-related restrictions, but he’s aware people “don’t like being told what to do.”
“You would want people to use good judgment to protect themselves and their families,” he told Good Day New York. But “there is mandate fatigue. People don’t like being told what to do.
He added, however, that when there’s an increase in infections, “which is followed by an increase in hospitalizations, you want to make sure you’re doing something to mitigate that.”