Fauci’s mixed messages, inconsistencies over COVID-19 masks, vaccines and reopening are scrutinized

The director of the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases (NIAID), Anthony Fauci’s often inconsistent remarks and mixed messages about the coronavirus pandemic, has led to a re-examination as the debate over the reopening of schools and businesses almost ‘ one year after the closing period began.

“Dr. Fauci is a very good public health officer. His job is to advise policymakers and inform the public,” Sen. Marco Rubio, R-Fla., Said Tuesday. “But his job is NOT to decide what we can do, where we can go or what places can open or close. And his job is NOT to deceive us or scare us into doing the ‘right things’. . “

“Why should we trust Fauci with a national plan? In March, Fauci famously told Americans, ‘There’s no reason to walk around with a mask on,'” David Harsanyi wrote in the National Review. “(Fauci now says we have to wear two masks. No thanks, Dad.)”

Masks

Fauci warned in an interview in ’60 minutes’ against “unintended consequences” of masks in early March last year, saying “people keep wearing the mask and they keep touching their face.”

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Regarding masks, Fauci and former surgeon general Jerome Adams – who also warned against buying and wearing masks in the spring of 2020 – said officials recommended wearing masks early in the pandemic because there was a huge shortage of PBT at the time. medical workers who need it most. Furthermore, more evidence of asymptomatic spread of the virus appeared later.

Fauci later enthusiastically embraced with masks.

“What has changed in our recommendation?” Adams said in an information session at the White House in July. “We now know from recent studies that a significant proportion of individuals with coronavirus do not have symptoms.”

Now, Fauci recently supported recommendations that Americans should wear two masks instead of one instead of one to keep the masks on people’s faces.

“If you have a physical coating with one layer, you put another layer on it, but it only makes sense that it would probably be more effective,” Fauci told NBC News last month. The CDC officially set out double-masking guidelines this month.

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Vaccinations

Another issue on which Fauci has adjusted its position is exactly what level of vaccination is needed for the US to achieve herd immunity against the virus. Fauci said earlier that the percentage of Americans who need to be vaccinated to reach the goal was 70% before the number was revised to above 80%.

It inspired a story in the New York Times that accused Fauci of ‘quietly moving’ recommendations. Fauci then explained to the newspaper that he takes the opinion polls into account in the form of his comments.

“When polls say that only half of all Americans will take a vaccine, I said the herd’s immunity would take 70 to 75%,” Fauci was quoted as saying by the newspaper. “When newer recordings said 60% or more would take it, I thought, ‘I can push it up a little bit,’ so I went to 80, 85.”

He continues: “We must have humility here … We really do not know what the real number is. I think the real range is between 70 and 90%. But I am not going to say 90%.”

And in returning to normal after Americans got their vaccinations, Fauci made several remarks that are not necessarily consistent.

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“It will depend a lot on the percentage or level of effectiveness of the vaccine,” Fauci said in an interview about what life after vaccination with Bloomberg would look like in August. “I would be very happy with 70-75% and I accept 50 to 60%.”

Fauci said sustained public health measures would be needed if the vaccine was at its lowest point of efficacy. But vaccines have been shown to be significantly more effective than expected – up from 90% – and Fauci now says Americans may have to wear masks until 2022.

“Clearly, with an effective vaccine of more than 90 percent, you can have more confidence,” Fauci told CNN in November. ‘But I would advise people not to give up all public health measures just because you have been vaccinated, because although it can be 90 to 95% effective for the general population, you do not necessarily know for yourself how effective it is. ‘

He added on Sunday, also on CNN, that whether Americans wear masks in 2022 “depends on the level of the dynamics of the virus that is in the community … If you see that the level is really, really very low, I want to it keeps going down to a baseline that is so low that there is virtually no threat – or no no, it will never be zero, but a minimal, minimal threat that you will be exposed to someone who is infected . ‘

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More than 500,000 Americans have died from the coronavirus, which is a disease of the air that is not serious in most healthy people, but can be fatal to older people and those with an immune system. Fauci and his defenders said their recommendations on the virus, which did not exist before 2019, evolved as Americans’ understanding of the virus developed. They also say the strict recommendations reflect the large number of deaths the virus can and has caused.

But those who are more critical of Fauci say that he made statements of ‘science’ with far too much finality when science was not really settled; did not, in some cases, equalize with Americans, nor over the length of the exclusions; and does not take into account the mental and emotional toll of the virus lock.

Also this month, Fauci said on NBC’s “Today” that “by the time we get to April, it would be what I would call … open season” about vaccines and almost full vaccination against “the middle and end of the The epidemiologist was then contradicted by President Biden, who said in a CNN town hall that the vaccine would be available to all Americans by the end of July, and would take longer than getting doses in everyone’s arms.

Fox News targeted the NIAID for commenting on Fauci’s messages about masks, herd immunity, vaccines and when life would return to normal and have not received a response.

Lock up

Many Americans still wonder when the country’s leading expert in infectious diseases will tell them that they can resume normal life.

One issue Fauci has remained more consistent about is the reopening of schools, which he reiterated is possible before teachers get vaccinations. In fact, he told CBS this month that vaccinating every teacher before opening schools is ‘unworkable’.

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Fauci did not want to say on CNN on Sunday that grandparents who had been fully vaccinated could see their grandchildren, saying: “I do not want to make a recommendation on public TV now. I want to sit down with the team, watch that. “

This led to a fight by Meghan McCain over ‘The View’.

“I was very frustrated when I saw this clip,” she said. ‘The fact that dr. Fauci goes on CNN and he can not tell me if I get the vaccine, I will be able to eat with my family … It’s terribly inconsistent and it still remains a contradictory message. “

Fauci responded to CNN’s criticism on Tuesday.

“When I’m fully vaccinated and my daughter comes into the house and she’s fully vaccinated, common sense tells you you do not really have to be that strict,” Fauci said. But, he added, “we want to get firm recommendations from the CDC” on what people may and may not do if they are vaccinated.

Foxla’s Kayla Rivas contributed to this report.