Fact check: Fauci saying “there’s no reason to be walking around with a mask”
In the clip, Dr Fauci says “There’s no reason to be walking around with a mask. When you’re in the middle of an outbreak, wearing a mask might make people feel a little bit better and it might even block a droplet, but it’s not providing the perfect protection that people think that it is. And, often, there are unintended consequences — people keep fiddling with the mask and they keep touching their face.”
Fauci made this comment on an interview with 60 Minutes on March 8, during the early stages of the novel coronavirus outbreak in the United States. A longer extract of the interview is visible youtu.be/PRa6t_e7dgI (see 30-second mark).
The interview predates the CDC’s updated guidance on the use of face coverings. On April 3, 2020, the CDC updated its previous advice and recommended people wear cloth face coverings “in public settings when around people outside their household, especially when social distancing measures are difficult to maintain.”
Gail Blidook says
It is totally understandable that Dr. Fauci’s recommendations from March 2020 would change as the scientific data changed. As Dr. Kate Gabrowski, top infectious-disease epidemiologist at John Hopkins explains, they just didn’t have enough information at the beginning of the pandemic to make a strong public recommendation about everone wearing masks.There was also a shortage of basic PPE for medical personnel. Dr. Fauci didn’t stay stuck in March. He corrected and changed as the data changed. He admitted he was wrong when new evidence came to him, and gave clear guidance when research supported it.
Once many science researchers such as Jeremy Howard (University of San Francisco) Dr. Monica Ghandi (University of California) and Kwok-Yung Yuen (University of Hong Kong) were able to do clinical studies, they determined that the science supports face coverings and that it is saving lives. On April 3rd the CDC therefore recommended that the public wear cloth face coverings in areas where there could be a high rate of transmissions or where distancing was not possible. Most countries adopted some kind of guidance in April. WHO finally endorsed the use of masks by the public on June 8th. Among public health experts world wide, there is a near-unanimous endorsement of universal mask wearing. The science says masks cut down on both transmitting and catching the virus, and may also reduce the severity of infection.
For those interested in the science and current recommendations please google: Face masks data nature.com
Dave Shearer says
Thanks for your input, Helene – I am an Emergency Medical Technician – Ambulance, and here is my video assessment which is based upon facts (not government issued hearsay): BitChute.com search name “davesheers” 11 Nov. video. I stand by this and other assessments.
Furthermore, since you brought it up, our 3 UNvaccinated children, now possess, 83 years, between them of excellent health. This IS NOT hearsay, but rather empirical evidence, which I also stand by.
Lana corbett says
Thanks Mary Lou. I totally agree. It’s all too convenient that we said masks were not effective after 15 years of substantial research studies and then when this politically and financially motivated pandemic became more controlling we suddenly found research to support mask wearing. Research that has been spoken against for poor efficacy by many scientists. I hope more people question what’s going on. It’s not about the so called “anti maskers” this is an issue of unlawfully policy against our charter of rights and freedoms – in the name of fear and safety. That is no way to live or to be controlled. Be with your loved ones, hug and share space. That is the way to health and wellness
Bernard Klatt says
Mask wearing should be a personal choice
* Danish study finds no clear evidence face masks protect wearer from Covid-19 infection
If mask wearing is innefective at the beginning and middle of a viral pandemic, why would they be helpful at the end?
* Surgeon general: Data doesn’t back up wearing masks in public amid coronavirus pandemic
The right people need to wear the right mask, in the right way, at the right times and places.
* Face masks cut disease spread in the lab, but have less impact in the community
Masks are not appropriate for everyone
* 4-Year-Old Almost Dies due to Lung Infection Caused by Prolonged Mask Wearing
* = Copy ‘n paste into any search site (may need to scroll down results to find the article due to search site bias)
David Lindsay says
There are two types of people in the world – those who think the government is looking out for their best health interests – and those who think.
Dave Shearer says
The one consistent item in this whole fake circus that we are experiencing, is that there is no common sense or intelligent consistency from the ‘powers that be’, whatsoever, since this thing began. So why would anyone buy into it even just a little bit?
Helene Godin says
I have two very intelligent daughters working in the health system (with doctors). I value their opinion. Both my husband and I have had the pneumococcal vaccine and the flu vaccine. We have not seen our children and grandchildren for almost a year. We wear masks when we go shopping. We are both scientists. We had a first Zoom meeting last Saturday with the family to celebrate my husband 80th Birthday.
So yes we “buy it”! Just talk to someone who has lost a loved one to this virus to see if they “buy it”
Mary Lou Gutscher says
It’s all about personal choice, Helene. Each individual must choose for their own situation. I don’t say “shame on you for wearing a mask” because you believe it will work for you and your family. I simply say “I’m not wearing one” and I question any authority figure who seeks to force me to do otherwise. I speak from my own experience, having grown up with grandparents who ran a House of Refuge – the forerunner of today’s seniors’ homes and noticing that it was only the sick who were isolated, not the healthy. To insist that everybody wear masks and stay distant from those they love is inhumane. We give our pets more freedom than that.
Helene Godin says
And you do not wear seat belts because the government forced you to do it? Go to the Health care center in BC which has over 110 patients infected…
Publisher: Which Health care center in BC – is the no seat belt disorder?
UPDATE on IH numbers:
· IH is reporting 104 new cases since Friday, for a total of 1,307.
· 272 cases are active and in isolation
· Three people are in hospital. None in ICU.
UPDATE: RIH Patient Care Tower construction site outbreak in Kamloops
· Thirteen cases are directly linked to this outbreak. The additional cases are not new, but identified through ongoing contact tracing.
Mary Lou Gutscher says
Almost all of the major health officials in North America are two-faced – saying one thing here then turning around and saying the opposite there. Either they never knew what they were talking about in the first place, or they have a vested interest in keeping public panic going for their own ambitions. Either way, how can you trust them when common sense and upbringing have already taught you what to do if you have a cold or flu – stay home, drink lots of fluids, pump up the Vitamin C, D and Zinc (have your doctor add hydroxychloroquine if needed), and build up your immunity naturally WITHOUT a mask.
Carolyn Tipler says
Do you really believe that health officials anywhere in the world have this mindset: “they have a vested interest in keeping public panic going for their own ambitions”?
Mary Lou Gutscher says
Look at history, Carolyn. Tyrants throughout history have sought to separate us from each other – to point to an easily identifiable group as the “enemy” (in this case, those not wearing masks – how convenient – or in the not so distant past, those who wore the Star of David) – to pit us one against the other. That is not my intention, nor is it the intention of any other person I know who simply wants to go about life peaceably without wearing a mask. And yes, I DO believe that many of our elected and appointed authorities are keeping us in a state of fear for their own ambitions, however petty or ambitious they may be. Critical thinking, research, and a general distrust of authority is the safest and safest way to live, in my opinion.