The discussion of Fauci is misleading. The fact that he wanted to save masks for health care workers wasn't a later admission; it was what he said all along:

Quote:

---

LaPook, March 8: There's a lot of confusion among people, and misinformation, surrounding face masks. Can you discuss that?

Fauci: The masks are important for someone who's infected to prevent them from infecting someone else Right now in the United States, people should not be walking around with masks.

LaPook: You're sure of it? Because people are listening really closely to this.

Fauci: 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.

LaPook: And can you get some schmutz, sort of staying inside there?

Fauci: Of course, of course. But, when you think masks, you should think of health care providers needing them and people who are ill. The people who, when you look at the films of foreign countries and you see 85% of the people wearing masks - that's fine, that's fine. I'm not against it. If you want to do it, that's fine.

LaPook: But it can lead to a shortage of masks?

Fauci: Exactly, that's the point. It could lead to a shortage of masks for the people who really need it.

---

Sam Lowry said:

---

The discussion of Fauci is misleading. The fact that he wanted to save masks for health care workers wasn't a later admission; it was what he said all along:

Quote:

---

LaPook, March 8: There's a lot of confusion among people, and misinformation, surrounding face masks. Can you discuss that?

Fauci: The masks are important for someone who's infected to prevent them from infecting someone else Right now in the United States, people should not be walking around with masks.

LaPook: You're sure of it? Because people are listening really closely to this.

Fauci: 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.

LaPook: And can you get some schmutz, sort of staying inside there?

Fauci: Of course, of course. But, when you think masks, you should think of health care providers needing them and people who are ill. The people who, when you look at the films of foreign countries and you see 85% of the people wearing masks - that's fine, that's fine. I'm not against it. If you want to do it, that's fine.

LaPook: But it can lead to a shortage of masks?

Fauci: Exactly, that's the point. It could lead to a shortage of masks for the people who really need it.

---

---

Your summary is likewise misleading. Fauci initially said that masks were unnecessary and provided little if any protection.

Weeks later he reversed course on masks and claimed they were needed for protection, and recommended govt. mask-wearing mandates to the public. Either he lied or he was mistaken in his initial assessment. The former appears much more likely.

Mothra said:

---

Sam Lowry said:

---

The discussion of Fauci is misleading. The fact that he wanted to save masks for health care workers wasn't a later admission; it was what he said all along:

Quote:

---

LaPook, March 8: There's a lot of confusion among people, and misinformation, surrounding face masks. Can you discuss that?

Fauci: The masks are important for someone who's infected to prevent them from infecting someone else Right now in the United States, people should not be walking around with masks.

LaPook: You're sure of it? Because people are listening really closely to this.

Fauci: 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.

LaPook: And can you get some schmutz, sort of staying inside there?

Fauci: Of course, of course. But, when you think masks, you should think of health care providers needing them and people who are ill. The people who, when you look at the films of foreign countries and you see 85% of the people wearing masks - that's fine, that's fine. I'm not against it. If you want to do it, that's fine.

LaPook: But it can lead to a shortage of masks?

Fauci: Exactly, that's the point. It could lead to a shortage of masks for the people who really need it.

---

---

Your summary is likewise misleading. Fauci initially said that masks were unnecessary and provided little if any protection.

Weeks later he reversed course on masks and claimed they were needed for protection, and recommended govt. mask-wearing mandates to the public. Either he lied or he was mistaken in his initial assessment. The former appears much more likely.

---

He said "right now," as of March 8, there was no reason for people without symptoms to go around with masks. He also said masks were important for sick people and health care workers. They were recommended for the general public as we became more aware of asymptomatic and aerosol transmission.

Wouldn't that be contradictory to what he said? If mask wearing would prevent an infected person from passing on the virus, what would be the point then of saving masks for healthcare workers who were treating the infected patients? Shouldn't it be the infected patients who would be the priority to get masks instead of the uninfected healthcare workers?

Which way is the wind blowing today?

Malbec said:

---

Wouldn't that be contradictory to what he said? If mask wearing would prevent an infected person from passing on the virus, what would be the point then of saving masks for healthcare workers who were treating the infected patients? Shouldn't it be the infected patients who would be the priority to get masks instead of the uninfected healthcare workers?

Which way is the wind blowing today?

---

To answer your initial question, indeed it would.

Sam Lowry said:

---

Mothra said:

---

Sam Lowry said:

---

The discussion of Fauci is misleading. The fact that he wanted to save masks for health care workers wasn't a later admission; it was what he said all along:

Quote:

---

LaPook, March 8: There's a lot of confusion among people, and misinformation, surrounding face masks. Can you discuss that?

Fauci: The masks are important for someone who's infected to prevent them from infecting someone else Right now in the United States, people should not be walking around with masks.

LaPook: You're sure of it? Because people are listening really closely to this.

Fauci: 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.

LaPook: And can you get some schmutz, sort of staying inside there?

Fauci: Of course, of course. But, when you think masks, you should think of health care providers needing them and people who are ill. The people who, when you look at the films of foreign countries and you see 85% of the people wearing masks - that's fine, that's fine. I'm not against it. If you want to do it, that's fine.

LaPook: But it can lead to a shortage of masks?

Fauci: Exactly, that's the point. It could lead to a shortage of masks for the people who really need it.

---

---

Your summary is likewise misleading. Fauci initially said that masks were unnecessary and provided little if any protection.

Weeks later he reversed course on masks and claimed they were needed for protection, and recommended govt. mask-wearing mandates to the public. Either he lied or he was mistaken in his initial assessment. The former appears much more likely.

---

He said "right now," as of March 8, there was no reason for people without symptoms to go around with masks. He also said masks were important for sick people and health care workers. They were recommended for the general public as we became more aware of asymptomatic and aerosol transmission.

---

If masks are ineffective, as he initially said, then why would asymptomatic people need to wear them?

Mothra said:

---

Sam Lowry said:

---

The discussion of Fauci is misleading. The fact that he wanted to save masks for health care workers wasn't a later admission; it was what he said all along:

Quote:

---

LaPook, March 8: There's a lot of confusion among people, and misinformation, surrounding face masks. Can you discuss that?

Fauci: The masks are important for someone who's infected to prevent them from infecting someone else Right now in the United States, people should not be walking around with masks.

LaPook: You're sure of it? Because people are listening really closely to this.

Fauci: 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.

LaPook: And can you get some schmutz, sort of staying inside there?

Fauci: Of course, of course. But, when you think masks, you should think of health care providers needing them and people who are ill. The people who, when you look at the films of foreign countries and you see 85% of the people wearing masks - that's fine, that's fine. I'm not against it. If you want to do it, that's fine.

LaPook: But it can lead to a shortage of masks?

Fauci: Exactly, that's the point. It could lead to a shortage of masks for the people who really need it.

---

---

Your summary is likewise misleading. Fauci initially said that masks were unnecessary and provided little if any protection.

Weeks later he reversed course on masks and claimed they were needed for protection, and recommended govt. mask-wearing mandates to the public. Either he lied or he was mistaken in his initial assessment. The former appears much more likely.

---

I think it is more fair to say that he downplayed the potential effectiveness of masks in an attempt to preserve them for medical professionals.

Malbec said:

---

Wouldn't that be contradictory to what he said? If mask wearing would prevent an infected person from passing on the virus, what would be the point then of saving masks for healthcare workers who were treating the infected patients? Shouldn't it be the infected patients who would be the priority to get masks instead of the uninfected healthcare workers?

Which way is the wind blowing today?

---

Health care workers would have more contact with droplets, which was the main concern at the time. He also said sick people were a priority.

Mothra said:

---

Sam Lowry said:

---

Mothra said:

---

Sam Lowry said:

---

The discussion of Fauci is misleading. The fact that he wanted to save masks for health care workers wasn't a later admission; it was what he said all along:

Quote:

---

LaPook, March 8: There's a lot of confusion among people, and misinformation, surrounding face masks. Can you discuss that?

Fauci: The masks are important for someone who's infected to prevent them from infecting someone else Right now in the United States, people should not be walking around with masks.

LaPook: You're sure of it? Because people are listening really closely to this.

Fauci: 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.

LaPook: And can you get some schmutz, sort of staying inside there?

Fauci: Of course, of course. But, when you think masks, you should think of health care providers needing them and people who are ill. The people who, when you look at the films of foreign countries and you see 85% of the people wearing masks - that's fine, that's fine. I'm not against it. If you want to do it, that's fine.

LaPook: But it can lead to a shortage of masks?

Fauci: Exactly, that's the point. It could lead to a shortage of masks for the people who really need it.

---

---

Your summary is likewise misleading. Fauci initially said that masks were unnecessary and provided little if any protection.

Weeks later he reversed course on masks and claimed they were needed for protection, and recommended govt. mask-wearing mandates to the public. Either he lied or he was mistaken in his initial assessment. The former appears much more likely.

---

He said "right now," as of March 8, there was no reason for people without symptoms to go around with masks. He also said masks were important for sick people and health care workers. They were recommended for the general public as we became more aware of asymptomatic and aerosol transmission.

---

If masks are ineffective, as he initially said, then why would asymptomatic people need to wear them?

---

He didn't say that. He did downplay them.

Sam Lowry said:

---

Mothra said:

---

Sam Lowry said:

---

Mothra said:

---

Sam Lowry said:

---

The discussion of Fauci is misleading. The fact that he wanted to save masks for health care workers wasn't a later admission; it was what he said all along:

Quote:

---

LaPook, March 8: There's a lot of confusion among people, and misinformation, surrounding face masks. Can you discuss that?

Fauci: The masks are important for someone who's infected to prevent them from infecting someone else Right now in the United States, people should not be walking around with masks.

LaPook: You're sure of it? Because people are listening really closely to this.

Fauci: 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.

LaPook: And can you get some schmutz, sort of staying inside there?

Fauci: Of course, of course. But, when you think masks, you should think of health care providers needing them and people who are ill. The people who, when you look at the films of foreign countries and you see 85% of the people wearing masks - that's fine, that's fine. I'm not against it. If you want to do it, that's fine.

LaPook: But it can lead to a shortage of masks?

Fauci: Exactly, that's the point. It could lead to a shortage of masks for the people who really need it.

---

---

Your summary is likewise misleading. Fauci initially said that masks were unnecessary and provided little if any protection.

Weeks later he reversed course on masks and claimed they were needed for protection, and recommended govt. mask-wearing mandates to the public. Either he lied or he was mistaken in his initial assessment. The former appears much more likely.

---

He said "right now," as of March 8, there was no reason for people without symptoms to go around with masks. He also said masks were important for sick people and health care workers. They were recommended for the general public as we became more aware of asymptomatic and aerosol transmission.

---

If masks are ineffective, as he initially said, then why would asymptomatic people need to wear them?

---

He didn't say that. He did downplay them.

---

It's certainly what he suggested. He said masks "might make people feel a little bit better and it might even block a droplet," but then suggested even what limited protection if any the mask provides would be offset by people fidgeting with it.

So again, I ask, if the mask is ineffective or very limited in effectiveness, why would asymptomatic people need to wear them?

Mothra said:

---

Sam Lowry said:

---

Mothra said:

---

Sam Lowry said:

---

Mothra said:

---

Sam Lowry said:

---

The discussion of Fauci is misleading. The fact that he wanted to save masks for health care workers wasn't a later admission; it was what he said all along:

Quote:

---

LaPook, March 8: There's a lot of confusion among people, and misinformation, surrounding face masks. Can you discuss that?

Fauci: The masks are important for someone who's infected to prevent them from infecting someone else Right now in the United States, people should not be walking around with masks.

LaPook: You're sure of it? Because people are listening really closely to this.

Fauci: 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.

LaPook: And can you get some schmutz, sort of staying inside there?

Fauci: Of course, of course. But, when you think masks, you should think of health care providers needing them and people who are ill. The people who, when you look at the films of foreign countries and you see 85% of the people wearing masks - that's fine, that's fine. I'm not against it. If you want to do it, that's fine.

LaPook: But it can lead to a shortage of masks?

Fauci: Exactly, that's the point. It could lead to a shortage of masks for the people who really need it.

---

---

Your summary is likewise misleading. Fauci initially said that masks were unnecessary and provided little if any protection.

Weeks later he reversed course on masks and claimed they were needed for protection, and recommended govt. mask-wearing mandates to the public. Either he lied or he was mistaken in his initial assessment. The former appears much more likely.

---

He said "right now," as of March 8, there was no reason for people without symptoms to go around with masks. He also said masks were important for sick people and health care workers. They were recommended for the general public as we became more aware of asymptomatic and aerosol transmission.

---

If masks are ineffective, as he initially said, then why would asymptomatic people need to wear them?

---

He didn't say that. He did downplay them.

---

It's certainly what he suggested. He said masks "might make people feel a little bit better and it might even block a droplet," but then suggested even what limited protection if any the mask provides would be offset by people fidgeting with it.

So again, I ask, if the mask is ineffective or very limited in effectiveness, why would asymptomatic people need to wear them?

---

It is a reasonable question and one that a lot of people asked.

D. C. Bear said:

---

Mothra said:

---

Sam Lowry said:

---

The discussion of Fauci is misleading. The fact that he wanted to save masks for health care workers wasn't a later admission; it was what he said all along:

Quote:

---

LaPook, March 8: There's a lot of confusion among people, and misinformation, surrounding face masks. Can you discuss that?

Fauci: The masks are important for someone who's infected to prevent them from infecting someone else Right now in the United States, people should not be walking around with masks.

LaPook: You're sure of it? Because people are listening really closely to this.

Fauci: 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.

LaPook: And can you get some schmutz, sort of staying inside there?

Fauci: Of course, of course. But, when you think masks, you should think of health care providers needing them and people who are ill. The people who, when you look at the films of foreign countries and you see 85% of the people wearing masks - that's fine, that's fine. I'm not against it. If you want to do it, that's fine.

LaPook: But it can lead to a shortage of masks?

Fauci: Exactly, that's the point. It could lead to a shortage of masks for the people who really need it.

---

---

Your summary is likewise misleading. Fauci initially said that masks were unnecessary and provided little if any protection.

Weeks later he reversed course on masks and claimed they were needed for protection, and recommended govt. mask-wearing mandates to the public. Either he lied or he was mistaken in his initial assessment. The former appears much more likely.

---

I think it is more fair to say that he downplayed the potential effectiveness of masks in an attempt to preserve them for medical professionals.

---

Either way, it was deceptive, whether we want to call it an outright lie (as I do) or downplaying.

Mothra said:

---

D. C. Bear said:

---

Mothra said:

---

Sam Lowry said:

---

The discussion of Fauci is misleading. The fact that he wanted to save masks for health care workers wasn't a later admission; it was what he said all along:

Quote:

---

LaPook, March 8: There's a lot of confusion among people, and misinformation, surrounding face masks. Can you discuss that?

Fauci: The masks are important for someone who's infected to prevent them from infecting someone else Right now in the United States, people should not be walking around with masks.

LaPook: You're sure of it? Because people are listening really closely to this.

Fauci: 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.

LaPook: And can you get some schmutz, sort of staying inside there?

Fauci: Of course, of course. But, when you think masks, you should think of health care providers needing them and people who are ill. The people who, when you look at the films of foreign countries and you see 85% of the people wearing masks - that's fine, that's fine. I'm not against it. If you want to do it, that's fine.

LaPook: But it can lead to a shortage of masks?

Fauci: Exactly, that's the point. It could lead to a shortage of masks for the people who really need it.

---

---

Your summary is likewise misleading. Fauci initially said that masks were unnecessary and provided little if any protection.

Weeks later he reversed course on masks and claimed they were needed for protection, and recommended govt. mask-wearing mandates to the public. Either he lied or he was mistaken in his initial assessment. The former appears much more likely.

---

I think it is more fair to say that he downplayed the potential effectiveness of masks in an attempt to preserve them for medical professionals.

---

Either way, it was deceptive, whether we want to call it an outright lie (as I do) or downplaying.

---

Yes, it does seem to be deceptive, and deception is rarely a good policy when it comes to public messaging.

D. C. Bear said:

---

Mothra said:

---

Sam Lowry said:

---

Mothra said:

---

Sam Lowry said:

---

Mothra said:

---

Sam Lowry said:

---

The discussion of Fauci is misleading. The fact that he wanted to save masks for health care workers wasn't a later admission; it was what he said all along:

Quote:

---

LaPook, March 8: There's a lot of confusion among people, and misinformation, surrounding face masks. Can you discuss that?

Fauci: The masks are important for someone who's infected to prevent them from infecting someone else Right now in the United States, people should not be walking around with masks.

LaPook: You're sure of it? Because people are listening really closely to this.

Fauci: 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.

LaPook: And can you get some schmutz, sort of staying inside there?

Fauci: Of course, of course. But, when you think masks, you should think of health care providers needing them and people who are ill. The people who, when you look at the films of foreign countries and you see 85% of the people wearing masks - that's fine, that's fine. I'm not against it. If you want to do it, that's fine.

LaPook: But it can lead to a shortage of masks?

Fauci: Exactly, that's the point. It could lead to a shortage of masks for the people who really need it.

---

---

Your summary is likewise misleading. Fauci initially said that masks were unnecessary and provided little if any protection.

Weeks later he reversed course on masks and claimed they were needed for protection, and recommended govt. mask-wearing mandates to the public. Either he lied or he was mistaken in his initial assessment. The former appears much more likely.

---

He said "right now," as of March 8, there was no reason for people without symptoms to go around with masks. He also said masks were important for sick people and health care workers. They were recommended for the general public as we became more aware of asymptomatic and aerosol transmission.

---

If masks are ineffective, as he initially said, then why would asymptomatic people need to wear them?

---

He didn't say that. He did downplay them.

---

It's certainly what he suggested. He said masks "might make people feel a little bit better and it might even block a droplet," but then suggested even what limited protection if any the mask provides would be offset by people fidgeting with it.

So again, I ask, if the mask is ineffective or very limited in effectiveness, why would asymptomatic people need to wear them?

---

It is a reasonable question and one that a lot of people asked.

---

Notice Sam is unable to answer it.

Mothra said:

---

Sam Lowry said:

---

Mothra said:

---

Sam Lowry said:

---

Mothra said:

---

Sam Lowry said:

---

The discussion of Fauci is misleading. The fact that he wanted to save masks for health care workers wasn't a later admission; it was what he said all along:

Quote:

---

LaPook, March 8: There's a lot of confusion among people, and misinformation, surrounding face masks. Can you discuss that?

Fauci: The masks are important for someone who's infected to prevent them from infecting someone else Right now in the United States, people should not be walking around with masks.

LaPook: You're sure of it? Because people are listening really closely to this.

Fauci: 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.

LaPook: And can you get some schmutz, sort of staying inside there?

Fauci: Of course, of course. But, when you think masks, you should think of health care providers needing them and people who are ill. The people who, when you look at the films of foreign countries and you see 85% of the people wearing masks - that's fine, that's fine. I'm not against it. If you want to do it, that's fine.

LaPook: But it can lead to a shortage of masks?

Fauci: Exactly, that's the point. It could lead to a shortage of masks for the people who really need it.

---

---

Your summary is likewise misleading. Fauci initially said that masks were unnecessary and provided little if any protection.

Weeks later he reversed course on masks and claimed they were needed for protection, and recommended govt. mask-wearing mandates to the public. Either he lied or he was mistaken in his initial assessment. The former appears much more likely.

---

He said "right now," as of March 8, there was no reason for people without symptoms to go around with masks. He also said masks were important for sick people and health care workers. They were recommended for the general public as we became more aware of asymptomatic and aerosol transmission.

---

If masks are ineffective, as he initially said, then why would asymptomatic people need to wear them?

---

He didn't say that. He did downplay them.

---

It's certainly what he suggested. He said masks "might make people feel a little bit better and it might even block a droplet," but then suggested even what limited protection if any the mask provides would be offset by people fidgeting with it.

So again, I ask, if the mask is ineffective or very limited in effectiveness, why would asymptomatic people need to wear them?

---

Asymptomatic people need to mask because we now know they're one of the most significant factors in spreading the disease. We also know more about the importance of airborne particles as opposed to fomites.

Sam Lowry said:

---

Mothra said:

---

Sam Lowry said:

---

Mothra said:

---

Sam Lowry said:

---

Mothra said:

---

Sam Lowry said:

---

The discussion of Fauci is misleading. The fact that he wanted to save masks for health care workers wasn't a later admission; it was what he said all along:

Quote:

---

LaPook, March 8: There's a lot of confusion among people, and misinformation, surrounding face masks. Can you discuss that?

Fauci: The masks are important for someone who's infected to prevent them from infecting someone else Right now in the United States, people should not be walking around with masks.

LaPook: You're sure of it? Because people are listening really closely to this.

Fauci: 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.

LaPook: And can you get some schmutz, sort of staying inside there?

Fauci: Of course, of course. But, when you think masks, you should think of health care providers needing them and people who are ill. The people who, when you look at the films of foreign countries and you see 85% of the people wearing masks - that's fine, that's fine. I'm not against it. If you want to do it, that's fine.

LaPook: But it can lead to a shortage of masks?

Fauci: Exactly, that's the point. It could lead to a shortage of masks for the people who really need it.

---

---

Your summary is likewise misleading. Fauci initially said that masks were unnecessary and provided little if any protection.

Weeks later he reversed course on masks and claimed they were needed for protection, and recommended govt. mask-wearing mandates to the public. Either he lied or he was mistaken in his initial assessment. The former appears much more likely.

---

He said "right now," as of March 8, there was no reason for people without symptoms to go around with masks. He also said masks were important for sick people and health care workers. They were recommended for the general public as we became more aware of asymptomatic and aerosol transmission.

---

If masks are ineffective, as he initially said, then why would asymptomatic people need to wear them?

---

He didn't say that. He did downplay them.

---

It's certainly what he suggested. He said masks "might make people feel a little bit better and it might even block a droplet," but then suggested even what limited protection if any the mask provides would be offset by people fidgeting with it.

So again, I ask, if the mask is ineffective or very limited in effectiveness, why would asymptomatic people need to wear them?

---

Asymptomatic people need to mask because we now know they're one of the most significant factors in spreading the disease. We also know more about the importance of airborne particles as opposed to fomites.

---

Thanks, but that was not an answer to my question. My question was, if masks - as Fauci said - have little to no effectiveness, then why do asymptomatic people need to wear them?

Sam Lowry said:

---

Mothra said:

---

Sam Lowry said:

---

Mothra said:

---

Sam Lowry said:

---

Mothra said:

---

Sam Lowry said:

---

The discussion of Fauci is misleading. The fact that he wanted to save masks for health care workers wasn't a later admission; it was what he said all along:

Quote:

---

LaPook, March 8: There's a lot of confusion among people, and misinformation, surrounding face masks. Can you discuss that?

Fauci: The masks are important for someone who's infected to prevent them from infecting someone else Right now in the United States, people should not be walking around with masks.

LaPook: You're sure of it? Because people are listening really closely to this.

Fauci: 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.

LaPook: And can you get some schmutz, sort of staying inside there?

Fauci: Of course, of course. But, when you think masks, you should think of health care providers needing them and people who are ill. The people who, when you look at the films of foreign countries and you see 85% of the people wearing masks - that's fine, that's fine. I'm not against it. If you want to do it, that's fine.

LaPook: But it can lead to a shortage of masks?

Fauci: Exactly, that's the point. It could lead to a shortage of masks for the people who really need it.

---

---

Your summary is likewise misleading. Fauci initially said that masks were unnecessary and provided little if any protection.

Weeks later he reversed course on masks and claimed they were needed for protection, and recommended govt. mask-wearing mandates to the public. Either he lied or he was mistaken in his initial assessment. The former appears much more likely.

---

He said "right now," as of March 8, there was no reason for people without symptoms to go around with masks. He also said masks were important for sick people and health care workers. They were recommended for the general public as we became more aware of asymptomatic and aerosol transmission.

---

If masks are ineffective, as he initially said, then why would asymptomatic people need to wear them?

---

He didn't say that. He did downplay them.

---

It's certainly what he suggested. He said masks "might make people feel a little bit better and it might even block a droplet," but then suggested even what limited protection if any the mask provides would be offset by people fidgeting with it.

So again, I ask, if the mask is ineffective or very limited in effectiveness, why would asymptomatic people need to wear them?

---

Asymptomatic people need to mask because we now know they're one of the most significant factors in spreading the disease. We also know more about the importance of airborne particles as opposed to fomites.

---

This isn't nearly as hard as some are making it. There were two reasons they recommended against masks early on -- scarcity of PPE at the time and a focus on the contracton of the virus rather than the spread. Once those two things changed, their recommendations changed, and Trump's own surgeon general laid out a really clear case for why at the time.

Unfortunately, people's minds don't change with the facts. Humans are an innately irrational species.

Mothra said:

---

Sam Lowry said:

---

Mothra said:

---

Sam Lowry said:

---

Mothra said:

---

Sam Lowry said:

---

Mothra said:

---

Sam Lowry said:

---

The discussion of Fauci is misleading. The fact that he wanted to save masks for health care workers wasn't a later admission; it was what he said all along:

Quote:

---

LaPook, March 8: There's a lot of confusion among people, and misinformation, surrounding face masks. Can you discuss that?

Fauci: The masks are important for someone who's infected to prevent them from infecting someone else Right now in the United States, people should not be walking around with masks.

LaPook: You're sure of it? Because people are listening really closely to this.

Fauci: 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.

LaPook: And can you get some schmutz, sort of staying inside there?

Fauci: Of course, of course. But, when you think masks, you should think of health care providers needing them and people who are ill. The people who, when you look at the films of foreign countries and you see 85% of the people wearing masks - that's fine, that's fine. I'm not against it. If you want to do it, that's fine.

LaPook: But it can lead to a shortage of masks?

Fauci: Exactly, that's the point. It could lead to a shortage of masks for the people who really need it.

---

---

Your summary is likewise misleading. Fauci initially said that masks were unnecessary and provided little if any protection.

Weeks later he reversed course on masks and claimed they were needed for protection, and recommended govt. mask-wearing mandates to the public. Either he lied or he was mistaken in his initial assessment. The former appears much more likely.

---

He said "right now," as of March 8, there was no reason for people without symptoms to go around with masks. He also said masks were important for sick people and health care workers. They were recommended for the general public as we became more aware of asymptomatic and aerosol transmission.

---

If masks are ineffective, as he initially said, then why would asymptomatic people need to wear them?

---

He didn't say that. He did downplay them.

---

It's certainly what he suggested. He said masks "might make people feel a little bit better and it might even block a droplet," but then suggested even what limited protection if any the mask provides would be offset by people fidgeting with it.

So again, I ask, if the mask is ineffective or very limited in effectiveness, why would asymptomatic people need to wear them?

---

Asymptomatic people need to mask because we now know they're one of the most significant factors in spreading the disease. We also know more about the importance of airborne particles as opposed to fomites.

---

Thanks, but that was not an answer to my question. My question was, if masks - as Fauci said - have little to no effectiveness, then why do asymptomatic people need to wear them?

---

He didn't say that. He said they're not the perfect protection some imagine, especially not for the wearer. They are more effective at protecting others.

Mothra said:

---

Sam Lowry said:

---

Mothra said:

---

Sam Lowry said:

---

Mothra said:

---

Sam Lowry said:

---

Mothra said:

---

Sam Lowry said:

---

The discussion of Fauci is misleading. The fact that he wanted to save masks for health care workers wasn't a later admission; it was what he said all along:

Quote:

---

LaPook, March 8: There's a lot of confusion among people, and misinformation, surrounding face masks. Can you discuss that?

Fauci: The masks are important for someone who's infected to prevent them from infecting someone else Right now in the United States, people should not be walking around with masks.

LaPook: You're sure of it? Because people are listening really closely to this.

Fauci: 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.

LaPook: And can you get some schmutz, sort of staying inside there?

Fauci: Of course, of course. But, when you think masks, you should think of health care providers needing them and people who are ill. The people who, when you look at the films of foreign countries and you see 85% of the people wearing masks - that's fine, that's fine. I'm not against it. If you want to do it, that's fine.

LaPook: But it can lead to a shortage of masks?

Fauci: Exactly, that's the point. It could lead to a shortage of masks for the people who really need it.

---

---

Your summary is likewise misleading. Fauci initially said that masks were unnecessary and provided little if any protection.

Weeks later he reversed course on masks and claimed they were needed for protection, and recommended govt. mask-wearing mandates to the public. Either he lied or he was mistaken in his initial assessment. The former appears much more likely.

---

He said "right now," as of March 8, there was no reason for people without symptoms to go around with masks. He also said masks were important for sick people and health care workers. They were recommended for the general public as we became more aware of asymptomatic and aerosol transmission.

---

If masks are ineffective, as he initially said, then why would asymptomatic people need to wear them?

---

He didn't say that. He did downplay them.

---

It's certainly what he suggested. He said masks "might make people feel a little bit better and it might even block a droplet," but then suggested even what limited protection if any the mask provides would be offset by people fidgeting with it.

So again, I ask, if the mask is ineffective or very limited in effectiveness, why would asymptomatic people need to wear them?

---

Asymptomatic people need to mask because we now know they're one of the most significant factors in spreading the disease. We also know more about the importance of airborne particles as opposed to fomites.

---

Thanks, but that was not an answer to my question. My question was, if masks - as Fauci said - have little to no effectiveness, then why do asymptomatic people need to wear them?

---

We've been over this so many damn times. Why are we still having this conversation a year later? Masks aren't particularly effective at protecting you from contracting the virus. Their effectiveness is in protecting others from you. And since presymptomatic carriers can have the virus up to three days before showing symptoms and can spread it that whole time, it makes sense to promote the widespread use of masks in situations where social distance isn't possible or practical.

bear2be2 said:

---

Sam Lowry said:

---

Mothra said:

---

Sam Lowry said:

---

Mothra said:

---

Sam Lowry said:

---

Mothra said:

---

Sam Lowry said:

---

The discussion of Fauci is misleading. The fact that he wanted to save masks for health care workers wasn't a later admission; it was what he said all along:

Quote:

---

LaPook, March 8: There's a lot of confusion among people, and misinformation, surrounding face masks. Can you discuss that?

Fauci: The masks are important for someone who's infected to prevent them from infecting someone else Right now in the United States, people should not be walking around with masks.

LaPook: You're sure of it? Because people are listening really closely to this.

Fauci: 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.

LaPook: And can you get some schmutz, sort of staying inside there?

Fauci: Of course, of course. But, when you think masks, you should think of health care providers needing them and people who are ill. The people who, when you look at the films of foreign countries and you see 85% of the people wearing masks - that's fine, that's fine. I'm not against it. If you want to do it, that's fine.

LaPook: But it can lead to a shortage of masks?

Fauci: Exactly, that's the point. It could lead to a shortage of masks for the people who really need it.

---

---

Your summary is likewise misleading. Fauci initially said that masks were unnecessary and provided little if any protection.

Weeks later he reversed course on masks and claimed they were needed for protection, and recommended govt. mask-wearing mandates to the public. Either he lied or he was mistaken in his initial assessment. The former appears much more likely.

---

He said "right now," as of March 8, there was no reason for people without symptoms to go around with masks. He also said masks were important for sick people and health care workers. They were recommended for the general public as we became more aware of asymptomatic and aerosol transmission.

---

If masks are ineffective, as he initially said, then why would asymptomatic people need to wear them?

---

He didn't say that. He did downplay them.

---

It's certainly what he suggested. He said masks "might make people feel a little bit better and it might even block a droplet," but then suggested even what limited protection if any the mask provides would be offset by people fidgeting with it.

So again, I ask, if the mask is ineffective or very limited in effectiveness, why would asymptomatic people need to wear them?

---

Asymptomatic people need to mask because we now know they're one of the most significant factors in spreading the disease. We also know more about the importance of airborne particles as opposed to fomites.

---

This isn't nearly as hard as some are making it. There were two reasons they recommended against masks early on -- scarcity of PPE at the time and a focus on the contracton of the virus rather than the spread. Once those two things changed, their recommendations changed, and Trump's own surgeon general laid out a really clear case for why at the time.

Unfortunately, people's minds don't change with the facts. Humans are an innately irrational species.

---

A little revisionist history here...

Fauci suggested the masks were not effective, and said they may catch the occasional drop of saliva. How then is a mask ineffective to prevent oral transmission - as Fauci suggested - now effective to prevent airborne transmission? Help this "irrational" guy understand the logic.

bear2be2 said:

---

Mothra said:

---

Sam Lowry said:

---

Mothra said:

---

Sam Lowry said:

---

Mothra said:

---

Sam Lowry said:

---

Mothra said:

---

Sam Lowry said:

---

The discussion of Fauci is misleading. The fact that he wanted to save masks for health care workers wasn't a later admission; it was what he said all along:

Quote:

---

LaPook, March 8: There's a lot of confusion among people, and misinformation, surrounding face masks. Can you discuss that?

Fauci: The masks are important for someone who's infected to prevent them from infecting someone else Right now in the United States, people should not be walking around with masks.

LaPook: You're sure of it? Because people are listening really closely to this.

Fauci: 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.

LaPook: And can you get some schmutz, sort of staying inside there?

Fauci: Of course, of course. But, when you think masks, you should think of health care providers needing them and people who are ill. The people who, when you look at the films of foreign countries and you see 85% of the people wearing masks - that's fine, that's fine. I'm not against it. If you want to do it, that's fine.

LaPook: But it can lead to a shortage of masks?

Fauci: Exactly, that's the point. It could lead to a shortage of masks for the people who really need it.

---

---

Your summary is likewise misleading. Fauci initially said that masks were unnecessary and provided little if any protection.

Weeks later he reversed course on masks and claimed they were needed for protection, and recommended govt. mask-wearing mandates to the public. Either he lied or he was mistaken in his initial assessment. The former appears much more likely.

---

He said "right now," as of March 8, there was no reason for people without symptoms to go around with masks. He also said masks were important for sick people and health care workers. They were recommended for the general public as we became more aware of asymptomatic and aerosol transmission.

---

If masks are ineffective, as he initially said, then why would asymptomatic people need to wear them?

---

He didn't say that. He did downplay them.

---

It's certainly what he suggested. He said masks "might make people feel a little bit better and it might even block a droplet," but then suggested even what limited protection if any the mask provides would be offset by people fidgeting with it.

So again, I ask, if the mask is ineffective or very limited in effectiveness, why would asymptomatic people need to wear them?

---

Asymptomatic people need to mask because we now know they're one of the most significant factors in spreading the disease. We also know more about the importance of airborne particles as opposed to fomites.

---

Thanks, but that was not an answer to my question. My question was, if masks - as Fauci said - have little to no effectiveness, then why do asymptomatic people need to wear them?

---

We've been over this so many damn times. Why are we still having this conversation a year later? Masks aren't particularly effective at protecting you from contracting the virus. Their effectiveness is in protecting others from you. And since asymptomatic people can have the virus up to three days before showing symptoms and can spread it that whole time, it makes sense to promote the widespread use of masks in situations where social distance isn't possible or practical.

---

See my post above.

Mothra said:

---

bear2be2 said:

---

Sam Lowry said:

---

Mothra said:

---

Sam Lowry said:

---

Mothra said:

---

Sam Lowry said:

---

Mothra said:

---

Sam Lowry said:

---

The discussion of Fauci is misleading. The fact that he wanted to save masks for health care workers wasn't a later admission; it was what he said all along:

Quote:

---

LaPook, March 8: There's a lot of confusion among people, and misinformation, surrounding face masks. Can you discuss that?

Fauci: The masks are important for someone who's infected to prevent them from infecting someone else Right now in the United States, people should not be walking around with masks.

LaPook: You're sure of it? Because people are listening really closely to this.

Fauci: 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.

LaPook: And can you get some schmutz, sort of staying inside there?

Fauci: Of course, of course. But, when you think masks, you should think of health care providers needing them and people who are ill. The people who, when you look at the films of foreign countries and you see 85% of the people wearing masks - that's fine, that's fine. I'm not against it. If you want to do it, that's fine.

LaPook: But it can lead to a shortage of masks?

Fauci: Exactly, that's the point. It could lead to a shortage of masks for the people who really need it.

---

---

Your summary is likewise misleading. Fauci initially said that masks were unnecessary and provided little if any protection.

Weeks later he reversed course on masks and claimed they were needed for protection, and recommended govt. mask-wearing mandates to the public. Either he lied or he was mistaken in his initial assessment. The former appears much more likely.

---

He said "right now," as of March 8, there was no reason for people without symptoms to go around with masks. He also said masks were important for sick people and health care workers. They were recommended for the general public as we became more aware of asymptomatic and aerosol transmission.

---

If masks are ineffective, as he initially said, then why would asymptomatic people need to wear them?

---

He didn't say that. He did downplay them.

---

It's certainly what he suggested. He said masks "might make people feel a little bit better and it might even block a droplet," but then suggested even what limited protection if any the mask provides would be offset by people fidgeting with it.

So again, I ask, if the mask is ineffective or very limited in effectiveness, why would asymptomatic people need to wear them?

---

Asymptomatic people need to mask because we now know they're one of the most significant factors in spreading the disease. We also know more about the importance of airborne particles as opposed to fomites.

---

This isn't nearly as hard as some are making it. There were two reasons they recommended against masks early on -- scarcity of PPE at the time and a focus on the contracton of the virus rather than the spread. Once those two things changed, their recommendations changed, and Trump's own surgeon general laid out a really clear case for why at the time.

Unfortunately, people's minds don't change with the facts. Humans are an innately irrational species.

---

A little revisionist history here...

Fauci suggested the masks were not effective, and said they may catch the occasional drop of saliva. How then is a mask ineffective to prevent oral transmission - as Fauci suggested - now effective to prevent airborne transmission? Help this "irrational" guy understand the logic.

---

He didn't say that. You've created a narrative based on faulty facts.

And again, Trump's surgeon general laid out a clear and concise case at the time for why the mask recommendations were changed. You can google it now and find out exactly what was actually said and why.

bear2be2 said:

---

Mothra said:

---

bear2be2 said:

---

Sam Lowry said:

---

Mothra said:

---

Sam Lowry said:

---

Mothra said:

---

Sam Lowry said:

---

Mothra said:

---

Sam Lowry said:

---

The discussion of Fauci is misleading. The fact that he wanted to save masks for health care workers wasn't a later admission; it was what he said all along:

Quote:

---

LaPook, March 8: There's a lot of confusion among people, and misinformation, surrounding face masks. Can you discuss that?

Fauci: The masks are important for someone who's infected to prevent them from infecting someone else Right now in the United States, people should not be walking around with masks.

LaPook: You're sure of it? Because people are listening really closely to this.

Fauci: 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.

LaPook: And can you get some schmutz, sort of staying inside there?

Fauci: Of course, of course. But, when you think masks, you should think of health care providers needing them and people who are ill. The people who, when you look at the films of foreign countries and you see 85% of the people wearing masks - that's fine, that's fine. I'm not against it. If you want to do it, that's fine.

LaPook: But it can lead to a shortage of masks?

Fauci: Exactly, that's the point. It could lead to a shortage of masks for the people who really need it.

---

---

Your summary is likewise misleading. Fauci initially said that masks were unnecessary and provided little if any protection.

Weeks later he reversed course on masks and claimed they were needed for protection, and recommended govt. mask-wearing mandates to the public. Either he lied or he was mistaken in his initial assessment. The former appears much more likely.

---

He said "right now," as of March 8, there was no reason for people without symptoms to go around with masks. He also said masks were important for sick people and health care workers. They were recommended for the general public as we became more aware of asymptomatic and aerosol transmission.

---

If masks are ineffective, as he initially said, then why would asymptomatic people need to wear them?

---

He didn't say that. He did downplay them.

---

It's certainly what he suggested. He said masks "might make people feel a little bit better and it might even block a droplet," but then suggested even what limited protection if any the mask provides would be offset by people fidgeting with it.

So again, I ask, if the mask is ineffective or very limited in effectiveness, why would asymptomatic people need to wear them?

---

Asymptomatic people need to mask because we now know they're one of the most significant factors in spreading the disease. We also know more about the importance of airborne particles as opposed to fomites.

---

This isn't nearly as hard as some are making it. There were two reasons they recommended against masks early on -- scarcity of PPE at the time and a focus on the contracton of the virus rather than the spread. Once those two things changed, their recommendations changed, and Trump's own surgeon general laid out a really clear case for why at the time.

Unfortunately, people's minds don't change with the facts. Humans are an innately irrational species.

---

A little revisionist history here...

Fauci suggested the masks were not effective, and said they may catch the occasional drop of saliva. How then is a mask ineffective to prevent oral transmission - as Fauci suggested - now effective to prevent airborne transmission? Help this "irrational" guy understand the logic.

---

He didn't say that. You've created a narrative based on faulty facts.

And again, Trump's surgeon general laid out a clear and concise case at the time for why the mask recommendations were changed. You can google it now and find out exactly what was actually said and why.

---

He did in fact suggest exactly what I said:

"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."

That is a tacit suggestion that masks are not effective at preventing transmission, as I said.

Mothra said:

---

bear2be2 said:

---

Mothra said:

---

bear2be2 said:

---

Sam Lowry said:

---

Mothra said:

---

Sam Lowry said:

---

Mothra said:

---

Sam Lowry said:

---

Mothra said:

---

Sam Lowry said:

---

The discussion of Fauci is misleading. The fact that he wanted to save masks for health care workers wasn't a later admission; it was what he said all along:

Quote:

---

LaPook, March 8: There's a lot of confusion among people, and misinformation, surrounding face masks. Can you discuss that?

Fauci: The masks are important for someone who's infected to prevent them from infecting someone else Right now in the United States, people should not be walking around with masks.

LaPook: You're sure of it? Because people are listening really closely to this.

Fauci: 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.

LaPook: And can you get some schmutz, sort of staying inside there?

Fauci: Of course, of course. But, when you think masks, you should think of health care providers needing them and people who are ill. The people who, when you look at the films of foreign countries and you see 85% of the people wearing masks - that's fine, that's fine. I'm not against it. If you want to do it, that's fine.

LaPook: But it can lead to a shortage of masks?

Fauci: Exactly, that's the point. It could lead to a shortage of masks for the people who really need it.

---

---

Your summary is likewise misleading. Fauci initially said that masks were unnecessary and provided little if any protection.

Weeks later he reversed course on masks and claimed they were needed for protection, and recommended govt. mask-wearing mandates to the public. Either he lied or he was mistaken in his initial assessment. The former appears much more likely.

---

He said "right now," as of March 8, there was no reason for people without symptoms to go around with masks. He also said masks were important for sick people and health care workers. They were recommended for the general public as we became more aware of asymptomatic and aerosol transmission.

---

If masks are ineffective, as he initially said, then why would asymptomatic people need to wear them?

---

He didn't say that. He did downplay them.

---

It's certainly what he suggested. He said masks "might make people feel a little bit better and it might even block a droplet," but then suggested even what limited protection if any the mask provides would be offset by people fidgeting with it.

So again, I ask, if the mask is ineffective or very limited in effectiveness, why would asymptomatic people need to wear them?

---

Asymptomatic people need to mask because we now know they're one of the most significant factors in spreading the disease. We also know more about the importance of airborne particles as opposed to fomites.

---

This isn't nearly as hard as some are making it. There were two reasons they recommended against masks early on -- scarcity of PPE at the time and a focus on the contracton of the virus rather than the spread. Once those two things changed, their recommendations changed, and Trump's own surgeon general laid out a really clear case for why at the time.

Unfortunately, people's minds don't change with the facts. Humans are an innately irrational species.

---

A little revisionist history here...

Fauci suggested the masks were not effective, and said they may catch the occasional drop of saliva. How then is a mask ineffective to prevent oral transmission - as Fauci suggested - now effective to prevent airborne transmission? Help this "irrational" guy understand the logic.

---

He didn't say that. You've created a narrative based on faulty facts.

And again, Trump's surgeon general laid out a clear and concise case at the time for why the mask recommendations were changed. You can google it now and find out exactly what was actually said and why.

---

He did in fact suggest exactly what I said:

"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."

That is a tacit suggestion that masks are not effective at preventing transmission, as I said.

---

No, you're adding implied meaning to a single soundbite without its proper context and ignoring the fact that many of these early recommendations were revised shortly after with clear and appropriate explanation for why.

If your contention is that Fauci and others revised their recommendations, fine. But a) that's what happens as circumstances change and you learn more about a novel virus and b) manipulating the facts to fit your narrative/suit your agenda serves no one well.

bear2be2 said:

---

Mothra said:

---

bear2be2 said:

---

Mothra said:

---

bear2be2 said:

---

Sam Lowry said:

---

Mothra said:

---

Sam Lowry said:

---

Mothra said:

---

Sam Lowry said:

---

Mothra said:

---

Sam Lowry said:

---

The discussion of Fauci is misleading. The fact that he wanted to save masks for health care workers wasn't a later admission; it was what he said all along:

Quote:

---

LaPook, March 8: There's a lot of confusion among people, and misinformation, surrounding face masks. Can you discuss that?

Fauci: The masks are important for someone who's infected to prevent them from infecting someone else Right now in the United States, people should not be walking around with masks.

LaPook: You're sure of it? Because people are listening really closely to this.

Fauci: 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.

LaPook: And can you get some schmutz, sort of staying inside there?

Fauci: Of course, of course. But, when you think masks, you should think of health care providers needing them and people who are ill. The people who, when you look at the films of foreign countries and you see 85% of the people wearing masks - that's fine, that's fine. I'm not against it. If you want to do it, that's fine.

LaPook: But it can lead to a shortage of masks?

Fauci: Exactly, that's the point. It could lead to a shortage of masks for the people who really need it.

---

---

Your summary is likewise misleading. Fauci initially said that masks were unnecessary and provided little if any protection.

Weeks later he reversed course on masks and claimed they were needed for protection, and recommended govt. mask-wearing mandates to the public. Either he lied or he was mistaken in his initial assessment. The former appears much more likely.

---

He said "right now," as of March 8, there was no reason for people without symptoms to go around with masks. He also said masks were important for sick people and health care workers. They were recommended for the general public as we became more aware of asymptomatic and aerosol transmission.

---

If masks are ineffective, as he initially said, then why would asymptomatic people need to wear them?

---

He didn't say that. He did downplay them.

---

It's certainly what he suggested. He said masks "might make people feel a little bit better and it might even block a droplet," but then suggested even what limited protection if any the mask provides would be offset by people fidgeting with it.

So again, I ask, if the mask is ineffective or very limited in effectiveness, why would asymptomatic people need to wear them?

---

Asymptomatic people need to mask because we now know they're one of the most significant factors in spreading the disease. We also know more about the importance of airborne particles as opposed to fomites.

---

This isn't nearly as hard as some are making it. There were two reasons they recommended against masks early on -- scarcity of PPE at the time and a focus on the contracton of the virus rather than the spread. Once those two things changed, their recommendations changed, and Trump's own surgeon general laid out a really clear case for why at the time.

Unfortunately, people's minds don't change with the facts. Humans are an innately irrational species.

---

A little revisionist history here...

Fauci suggested the masks were not effective, and said they may catch the occasional drop of saliva. How then is a mask ineffective to prevent oral transmission - as Fauci suggested - now effective to prevent airborne transmission? Help this "irrational" guy understand the logic.

---

He didn't say that. You've created a narrative based on faulty facts.

And again, Trump's surgeon general laid out a clear and concise case at the time for why the mask recommendations were changed. You can google it now and find out exactly what was actually said and why.

---

He did in fact suggest exactly what I said:

"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."

That is a tacit suggestion that masks are not effective at preventing transmission, as I said.

---

No, you're adding implied meaning to a single soundbite without its proper context and ignoring the fact that many of these early recommendations were revised shortly after with clear and appropriate explanation for why.

If your contention is that Fauci and others revised their recommendations, fine. But a) that's what happens as circumstances change and you learn more about a novel virus and b) manipulating the facts to fit your narrative/suit your agenda serves no one well.

---

We disagree. Regardless of what his intentions were, he suggested in no uncertain terms that the masks were ineffective. Only an intellectually dishonest person would suggest otherwise.

So again, the question remains unanswered.

Mothra said:

---

bear2be2 said:

---

Mothra said:

---

bear2be2 said:

---

Mothra said:

---

bear2be2 said:

---

Sam Lowry said:

---

Mothra said:

---

Sam Lowry said:

---

Mothra said:

---

Sam Lowry said:

---

Mothra said:

---

Sam Lowry said:

---

The discussion of Fauci is misleading. The fact that he wanted to save masks for health care workers wasn't a later admission; it was what he said all along:

Quote:

---

LaPook, March 8: There's a lot of confusion among people, and misinformation, surrounding face masks. Can you discuss that?

Fauci: The masks are important for someone who's infected to prevent them from infecting someone else Right now in the United States, people should not be walking around with masks.

LaPook: You're sure of it? Because people are listening really closely to this.

Fauci: 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.

LaPook: And can you get some schmutz, sort of staying inside there?

Fauci: Of course, of course. But, when you think masks, you should think of health care providers needing them and people who are ill. The people who, when you look at the films of foreign countries and you see 85% of the people wearing masks - that's fine, that's fine. I'm not against it. If you want to do it, that's fine.

LaPook: But it can lead to a shortage of masks?

Fauci: Exactly, that's the point. It could lead to a shortage of masks for the people who really need it.

---

---

Your summary is likewise misleading. Fauci initially said that masks were unnecessary and provided little if any protection.

Weeks later he reversed course on masks and claimed they were needed for protection, and recommended govt. mask-wearing mandates to the public. Either he lied or he was mistaken in his initial assessment. The former appears much more likely.

---

He said "right now," as of March 8, there was no reason for people without symptoms to go around with masks. He also said masks were important for sick people and health care workers. They were recommended for the general public as we became more aware of asymptomatic and aerosol transmission.

---

If masks are ineffective, as he initially said, then why would asymptomatic people need to wear them?

---

He didn't say that. He did downplay them.

---

It's certainly what he suggested. He said masks "might make people feel a little bit better and it might even block a droplet," but then suggested even what limited protection if any the mask provides would be offset by people fidgeting with it.

So again, I ask, if the mask is ineffective or very limited in effectiveness, why would asymptomatic people need to wear them?

---

Asymptomatic people need to mask because we now know they're one of the most significant factors in spreading the disease. We also know more about the importance of airborne particles as opposed to fomites.

---

This isn't nearly as hard as some are making it. There were two reasons they recommended against masks early on -- scarcity of PPE at the time and a focus on the contracton of the virus rather than the spread. Once those two things changed, their recommendations changed, and Trump's own surgeon general laid out a really clear case for why at the time.

Unfortunately, people's minds don't change with the facts. Humans are an innately irrational species.

---

A little revisionist history here...

Fauci suggested the masks were not effective, and said they may catch the occasional drop of saliva. How then is a mask ineffective to prevent oral transmission - as Fauci suggested - now effective to prevent airborne transmission? Help this "irrational" guy understand the logic.

---

He didn't say that. You've created a narrative based on faulty facts.

And again, Trump's surgeon general laid out a clear and concise case at the time for why the mask recommendations were changed. You can google it now and find out exactly what was actually said and why.

---

He did in fact suggest exactly what I said:

"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."

That is a tacit suggestion that masks are not effective at preventing transmission, as I said.

---

No, you're adding implied meaning to a single soundbite without its proper context and ignoring the fact that many of these early recommendations were revised shortly after with clear and appropriate explanation for why.

If your contention is that Fauci and others revised their recommendations, fine. But a) that's what happens as circumstances change and you learn more about a novel virus and b) manipulating the facts to fit your narrative/suit your agenda serves no one well.

---

We disagree. Regardless of what his intentions were, he suggested in no uncertain terms that the masks were ineffective. Only an intellectually dishonest person would suggest otherwise.

So again, the question remains unanswered.

---

Nothing is said or suggested "in no uncertain terms" at the beginning of a pandemic. Everything said is with the best and most recent data available and within the context of existing circumstances.

To ignore that Fauci's words came at a time when we didn't have enough PPE for medical workers and were meant to discourage average civilians from hoarding masks out of the false sense of security they provided the wearer is to miss the big picture. And to still be doing that a year into this pandemic when it's been explained countless times why the recommendations changed just suggests you have no real interest in the facts.

fadskier said:

---

Cuomo is lucky that all he did was cause the deaths of elderly people. Imagine the pushback from Dems if he had just gone on vacation which didn't directly hurt anyone!

---

You guys need to pay closer attention if you think Andrew Cuomo is skating or will skate on this. This will be his political undoing -- and deservedly so.

bear2be2 said:

---

Mothra said:

---

bear2be2 said:

---

Sam Lowry said:

---

Mothra said:

---

Sam Lowry said:

---

Mothra said:

---

Sam Lowry said:

---

Mothra said:

---

Sam Lowry said:

---

The discussion of Fauci is misleading. The fact that he wanted to save masks for health care workers wasn't a later admission; it was what he said all along:

Quote:

---

LaPook, March 8: There's a lot of confusion among people, and misinformation, surrounding face masks. Can you discuss that?

Fauci: The masks are important for someone who's infected to prevent them from infecting someone else Right now in the United States, people should not be walking around with masks.

LaPook: You're sure of it? Because people are listening really closely to this.

Fauci: 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.

LaPook: And can you get some schmutz, sort of staying inside there?

Fauci: Of course, of course. But, when you think masks, you should think of health care providers needing them and people who are ill. The people who, when you look at the films of foreign countries and you see 85% of the people wearing masks - that's fine, that's fine. I'm not against it. If you want to do it, that's fine.

LaPook: But it can lead to a shortage of masks?

Fauci: Exactly, that's the point. It could lead to a shortage of masks for the people who really need it.

---

---

Your summary is likewise misleading. Fauci initially said that masks were unnecessary and provided little if any protection.

Weeks later he reversed course on masks and claimed they were needed for protection, and recommended govt. mask-wearing mandates to the public. Either he lied or he was mistaken in his initial assessment. The former appears much more likely.

---

He said "right now," as of March 8, there was no reason for people without symptoms to go around with masks. He also said masks were important for sick people and health care workers. They were recommended for the general public as we became more aware of asymptomatic and aerosol transmission.

---

If masks are ineffective, as he initially said, then why would asymptomatic people need to wear them?

---

He didn't say that. He did downplay them.

---

It's certainly what he suggested. He said masks "might make people feel a little bit better and it might even block a droplet," but then suggested even what limited protection if any the mask provides would be offset by people fidgeting with it.

So again, I ask, if the mask is ineffective or very limited in effectiveness, why would asymptomatic people need to wear them?

---

Asymptomatic people need to mask because we now know they're one of the most significant factors in spreading the disease. We also know more about the importance of airborne particles as opposed to fomites.

---

This isn't nearly as hard as some are making it. There were two reasons they recommended against masks early on -- scarcity of PPE at the time and a focus on the contracton of the virus rather than the spread. Once those two things changed, their recommendations changed, and Trump's own surgeon general laid out a really clear case for why at the time.

Unfortunately, people's minds don't change with the facts. Humans are an innately irrational species.

---

A little revisionist history here...

Fauci suggested the masks were not effective, and said they may catch the occasional drop of saliva. How then is a mask ineffective to prevent oral transmission - as Fauci suggested - now effective to prevent airborne transmission? Help this "irrational" guy understand the logic.

---

He didn't say that. You've created a narrative based on faulty facts.

And again, Trump's surgeon general laid out a clear and concise case at the time for why the mask recommendations were changed. You can google it now and find out exactly what was actually said and why.

---

No, he really hasn't. Fauci, in an attempt to protect the supply of PPE, downplayed the potential effectiveness of masks in March 2020. That is a fair reading of what he said. I don't think you'll find a lot of demonstrably false statements in his interview, but the emphasis and framing was such that it created the impression that masks were more of a pacifier and may actually do more harm than good.

More recently, he raised his estimate of what percentage of the population needed to be vaccinated for her immunity to take hold based on higher numbers of people saying they were willing to take the vaccine. It makes me wonder whether he really has any idea what actually would provide herd immunity.

D. C. Bear said:

---

bear2be2 said:

---

Mothra said:

---

bear2be2 said:

---

Sam Lowry said:

---

Mothra said:

---

Sam Lowry said:

---

Mothra said:

---

Sam Lowry said:

---

Mothra said:

---

Sam Lowry said:

---

The discussion of Fauci is misleading. The fact that he wanted to save masks for health care workers wasn't a later admission; it was what he said all along:

Quote:

---

LaPook, March 8: There's a lot of confusion among people, and misinformation, surrounding face masks. Can you discuss that?

Fauci: The masks are important for someone who's infected to prevent them from infecting someone else Right now in the United States, people should not be walking around with masks.

LaPook: You're sure of it? Because people are listening really closely to this.

Fauci: 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.

LaPook: And can you get some schmutz, sort of staying inside there?

Fauci: Of course, of course. But, when you think masks, you should think of health care providers needing them and people who are ill. The people who, when you look at the films of foreign countries and you see 85% of the people wearing masks - that's fine, that's fine. I'm not against it. If you want to do it, that's fine.

LaPook: But it can lead to a shortage of masks?

Fauci: Exactly, that's the point. It could lead to a shortage of masks for the people who really need it.

---

---

Your summary is likewise misleading. Fauci initially said that masks were unnecessary and provided little if any protection.

Weeks later he reversed course on masks and claimed they were needed for protection, and recommended govt. mask-wearing mandates to the public. Either he lied or he was mistaken in his initial assessment. The former appears much more likely.

---

He said "right now," as of March 8, there was no reason for people without symptoms to go around with masks. He also said masks were important for sick people and health care workers. They were recommended for the general public as we became more aware of asymptomatic and aerosol transmission.

---

If masks are ineffective, as he initially said, then why would asymptomatic people need to wear them?

---

He didn't say that. He did downplay them.

---

It's certainly what he suggested. He said masks "might make people feel a little bit better and it might even block a droplet," but then suggested even what limited protection if any the mask provides would be offset by people fidgeting with it.

So again, I ask, if the mask is ineffective or very limited in effectiveness, why would asymptomatic people need to wear them?

---

Asymptomatic people need to mask because we now know they're one of the most significant factors in spreading the disease. We also know more about the importance of airborne particles as opposed to fomites.

---

This isn't nearly as hard as some are making it. There were two reasons they recommended against masks early on -- scarcity of PPE at the time and a focus on the contracton of the virus rather than the spread. Once those two things changed, their recommendations changed, and Trump's own surgeon general laid out a really clear case for why at the time.

Unfortunately, people's minds don't change with the facts. Humans are an innately irrational species.

---

A little revisionist history here...

Fauci suggested the masks were not effective, and said they may catch the occasional drop of saliva. How then is a mask ineffective to prevent oral transmission - as Fauci suggested - now effective to prevent airborne transmission? Help this "irrational" guy understand the logic.

---

He didn't say that. You've created a narrative based on faulty facts.

And again, Trump's surgeon general laid out a clear and concise case at the time for why the mask recommendations were changed. You can google it now and find out exactly what was actually said and why.

---

No, he really hasn't. Fauci, in an attempt to protect the supply of PPE, downplayed the potential effectiveness of masks in March 2020. That is a fair reading of what he said. I don't think you'll find a lot of demonstrably false statements in his interview, but the emphasis and framing was such that it created the impression that masks were more of a pacifier and may actually do more harm than good.

---

Bingo.

Mothra said:

---

bear2be2 said:

---

Sam Lowry said:

---

Mothra said:

---

Sam Lowry said:

---

Mothra said:

---

Sam Lowry said:

---

Mothra said:

---

Sam Lowry said:

---

The discussion of Fauci is misleading. The fact that he wanted to save masks for health care workers wasn't a later admission; it was what he said all along:

Quote:

---

LaPook, March 8: There's a lot of confusion among people, and misinformation, surrounding face masks. Can you discuss that?

Fauci: The masks are important for someone who's infected to prevent them from infecting someone else Right now in the United States, people should not be walking around with masks.

LaPook: You're sure of it? Because people are listening really closely to this.

Fauci: 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.

LaPook: And can you get some schmutz, sort of staying inside there?

Fauci: Of course, of course. But, when you think masks, you should think of health care providers needing them and people who are ill. The people who, when you look at the films of foreign countries and you see 85% of the people wearing masks - that's fine, that's fine. I'm not against it. If you want to do it, that's fine.

LaPook: But it can lead to a shortage of masks?

Fauci: Exactly, that's the point. It could lead to a shortage of masks for the people who really need it.

---

---

Your summary is likewise misleading. Fauci initially said that masks were unnecessary and provided little if any protection.

Weeks later he reversed course on masks and claimed they were needed for protection, and recommended govt. mask-wearing mandates to the public. Either he lied or he was mistaken in his initial assessment. The former appears much more likely.

---

He said "right now," as of March 8, there was no reason for people without symptoms to go around with masks. He also said masks were important for sick people and health care workers. They were recommended for the general public as we became more aware of asymptomatic and aerosol transmission.

---

If masks are ineffective, as he initially said, then why would asymptomatic people need to wear them?

---

He didn't say that. He did downplay them.

---

It's certainly what he suggested. He said masks "might make people feel a little bit better and it might even block a droplet," but then suggested even what limited protection if any the mask provides would be offset by people fidgeting with it.

So again, I ask, if the mask is ineffective or very limited in effectiveness, why would asymptomatic people need to wear them?

---

Asymptomatic people need to mask because we now know they're one of the most significant factors in spreading the disease. We also know more about the importance of airborne particles as opposed to fomites.

---

This isn't nearly as hard as some are making it. There were two reasons they recommended against masks early on -- scarcity of PPE at the time and a focus on the contracton of the virus rather than the spread. Once those two things changed, their recommendations changed, and Trump's own surgeon general laid out a really clear case for why at the time.

Unfortunately, people's minds don't change with the facts. Humans are an innately irrational species.

---

A little revisionist history here...

Fauci suggested the masks were not effective, and said they may catch the occasional drop of saliva. How then is a mask ineffective to prevent oral transmission - as Fauci suggested - now effective to prevent airborne transmission? Help this "irrational" guy understand the logic.

---

Aerosols stay in the air a lot longer than droplets. It isn't that masks don't protect against droplets. It's just that Fauci didn't think the benefit was worth the cost at that time.

D. C. Bear said:

---

bear2be2 said:

---

Mothra said:

---

bear2be2 said:

---

Sam Lowry said:

---

Mothra said:

---

Sam Lowry said:

---

Mothra said:

---

Sam Lowry said:

---

Mothra said:

---

Sam Lowry said:

---

The discussion of Fauci is misleading. The fact that he wanted to save masks for health care workers wasn't a later admission; it was what he said all along:

Quote:

---

LaPook, March 8: There's a lot of confusion among people, and misinformation, surrounding face masks. Can you discuss that?

Fauci: The masks are important for someone who's infected to prevent them from infecting someone else Right now in the United States, people should not be walking around with masks.

LaPook: You're sure of it? Because people are listening really closely to this.

Fauci: 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.

LaPook: And can you get some schmutz, sort of staying inside there?

Fauci: Of course, of course. But, when you think masks, you should think of health care providers needing them and people who are ill. The people who, when you look at the films of foreign countries and you see 85% of the people wearing masks - that's fine, that's fine. I'm not against it. If you want to do it, that's fine.

LaPook: But it can lead to a shortage of masks?

Fauci: Exactly, that's the point. It could lead to a shortage of masks for the people who really need it.

---

---

Your summary is likewise misleading. Fauci initially said that masks were unnecessary and provided little if any protection.

Weeks later he reversed course on masks and claimed they were needed for protection, and recommended govt. mask-wearing mandates to the public. Either he lied or he was mistaken in his initial assessment. The former appears much more likely.

---

He said "right now," as of March 8, there was no reason for people without symptoms to go around with masks. He also said masks were important for sick people and health care workers. They were recommended for the general public as we became more aware of asymptomatic and aerosol transmission.

---

If masks are ineffective, as he initially said, then why would asymptomatic people need to wear them?

---

He didn't say that. He did downplay them.

---

It's certainly what he suggested. He said masks "might make people feel a little bit better and it might even block a droplet," but then suggested even what limited protection if any the mask provides would be offset by people fidgeting with it.

So again, I ask, if the mask is ineffective or very limited in effectiveness, why would asymptomatic people need to wear them?

---

Asymptomatic people need to mask because we now know they're one of the most significant factors in spreading the disease. We also know more about the importance of airborne particles as opposed to fomites.

---

This isn't nearly as hard as some are making it. There were two reasons they recommended against masks early on -- scarcity of PPE at the time and a focus on the contracton of the virus rather than the spread. Once those two things changed, their recommendations changed, and Trump's own surgeon general laid out a really clear case for why at the time.

Unfortunately, people's minds don't change with the facts. Humans are an innately irrational species.

---

A little revisionist history here...

Fauci suggested the masks were not effective, and said they may catch the occasional drop of saliva. How then is a mask ineffective to prevent oral transmission - as Fauci suggested - now effective to prevent airborne transmission? Help this "irrational" guy understand the logic.

---

He didn't say that. You've created a narrative based on faulty facts.

And again, Trump's surgeon general laid out a clear and concise case at the time for why the mask recommendations were changed. You can google it now and find out exactly what was actually said and why.

---

No, he really hasn't. Fauci, in an attempt to protect the supply of PPE, downplayed the potential effectiveness of masks in March 2020. That is a fair reading of what he said. I don't think you'll find a lot of demonstrably false statements in his interview, but the emphasis and framing was such that it created the impression that masks were more of a pacifier and may actually do more harm than good.

More recently, he raised his estimate of what percentage of the population needed to be vaccinated for her immunity to take hold based on higher numbers of people saying they were willing to take the vaccine. It makes me wonder whether he really has any idea what actually would provide herd immunity.

---

His reasons for saying what he did are irrelevant. I won't continue to mince words, but the bottom line is - at a minimum - he gave the impression that masks were not effective.

And once again, there is no explanation as to why an ineffective mask would prevent the spread of an airborne virus.

He said this before the big outbreak in the US as well. But why dont y'all just email him and explain how this all works and how to communicate effectively about the virus on the various TV networks.

D. C. Bear said:

---

bear2be2 said:

---

Mothra said:

---

bear2be2 said:

---

Sam Lowry said:

---

Mothra said:

---

Sam Lowry said:

---

Mothra said:

---

Sam Lowry said:

---

Mothra said:

---

Sam Lowry said:

---

The discussion of Fauci is misleading. The fact that he wanted to save masks for health care workers wasn't a later admission; it was what he said all along:

Quote:

---

LaPook, March 8: There's a lot of confusion among people, and misinformation, surrounding face masks. Can you discuss that?

Fauci: The masks are important for someone who's infected to prevent them from infecting someone else Right now in the United States, people should not be walking around with masks.

LaPook: You're sure of it? Because people are listening really closely to this.

Fauci: 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.

LaPook: And can you get some schmutz, sort of staying inside there?

Fauci: Of course, of course. But, when you think masks, you should think of health care providers needing them and people who are ill. The people who, when you look at the films of foreign countries and you see 85% of the people wearing masks - that's fine, that's fine. I'm not against it. If you want to do it, that's fine.

LaPook: But it can lead to a shortage of masks?

Fauci: Exactly, that's the point. It could lead to a shortage of masks for the people who really need it.

---

---

Your summary is likewise misleading. Fauci initially said that masks were unnecessary and provided little if any protection.

Weeks later he reversed course on masks and claimed they were needed for protection, and recommended govt. mask-wearing mandates to the public. Either he lied or he was mistaken in his initial assessment. The former appears much more likely.

---

He said "right now," as of March 8, there was no reason for people without symptoms to go around with masks. He also said masks were important for sick people and health care workers. They were recommended for the general public as we became more aware of asymptomatic and aerosol transmission.

---

If masks are ineffective, as he initially said, then why would asymptomatic people need to wear them?

---

He didn't say that. He did downplay them.

---

It's certainly what he suggested. He said masks "might make people feel a little bit better and it might even block a droplet," but then suggested even what limited protection if any the mask provides would be offset by people fidgeting with it.

So again, I ask, if the mask is ineffective or very limited in effectiveness, why would asymptomatic people need to wear them?

---

Asymptomatic people need to mask because we now know they're one of the most significant factors in spreading the disease. We also know more about the importance of airborne particles as opposed to fomites.

---

This isn't nearly as hard as some are making it. There were two reasons they recommended against masks early on -- scarcity of PPE at the time and a focus on the contracton of the virus rather than the spread. Once those two things changed, their recommendations changed, and Trump's own surgeon general laid out a really clear case for why at the time.

Unfortunately, people's minds don't change with the facts. Humans are an innately irrational species.

---

A little revisionist history here...

Fauci suggested the masks were not effective, and said they may catch the occasional drop of saliva. How then is a mask ineffective to prevent oral transmission - as Fauci suggested - now effective to prevent airborne transmission? Help this "irrational" guy understand the logic.

---

He didn't say that. You've created a narrative based on faulty facts.

And again, Trump's surgeon general laid out a clear and concise case at the time for why the mask recommendations were changed. You can google it now and find out exactly what was actually said and why.

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No, he really hasn't. Fauci, in an attempt to protect the supply of PPE, downplayed the potential effectiveness of masks in March 2020. That is a fair reading of what he said. I don't think you'll find a lot of demonstrably false statements in his interview, but the emphasis and framing was such that it created the impression that masks were more of a pacifier and may actually do more harm than good.

More recently, he raised his estimate of what percentage of the population needed to be vaccinated for her immunity to take hold based on higher numbers of people saying they were willing to take the vaccine. It makes me wonder whether he really has any idea what actually would provide herd immunity.

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He has a range of numbers for herd immunity. It's impossible to know exactly because we don't know exactly how transmissible covid is compared to other diseases.

Sam Lowry said:

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Mothra said:

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bear2be2 said:

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Sam Lowry said:

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Mothra said:

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Sam Lowry said:

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Mothra said:

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Sam Lowry said:

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Mothra said:

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Sam Lowry said:

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The discussion of Fauci is misleading. The fact that he wanted to save masks for health care workers wasn't a later admission; it was what he said all along:

Quote:

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LaPook, March 8: There's a lot of confusion among people, and misinformation, surrounding face masks. Can you discuss that?

Fauci: The masks are important for someone who's infected to prevent them from infecting someone else Right now in the United States, people should not be walking around with masks.

LaPook: You're sure of it? Because people are listening really closely to this.

Fauci: 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.

LaPook: And can you get some schmutz, sort of staying inside there?

Fauci: Of course, of course. But, when you think masks, you should think of health care providers needing them and people who are ill. The people who, when you look at the films of foreign countries and you see 85% of the people wearing masks - that's fine, that's fine. I'm not against it. If you want to do it, that's fine.

LaPook: But it can lead to a shortage of masks?

Fauci: Exactly, that's the point. It could lead to a shortage of masks for the people who really need it.

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Your summary is likewise misleading. Fauci initially said that masks were unnecessary and provided little if any protection.

Weeks later he reversed course on masks and claimed they were needed for protection, and recommended govt. mask-wearing mandates to the public. Either he lied or he was mistaken in his initial assessment. The former appears much more likely.

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He said "right now," as of March 8, there was no reason for people without symptoms to go around with masks. He also said masks were important for sick people and health care workers. They were recommended for the general public as we became more aware of asymptomatic and aerosol transmission.

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If masks are ineffective, as he initially said, then why would asymptomatic people need to wear them?

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He didn't say that. He did downplay them.

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It's certainly what he suggested. He said masks "might make people feel a little bit better and it might even block a droplet," but then suggested even what limited protection if any the mask provides would be offset by people fidgeting with it.

So again, I ask, if the mask is ineffective or very limited in effectiveness, why would asymptomatic people need to wear them?

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Asymptomatic people need to mask because we now know they're one of the most significant factors in spreading the disease. We also know more about the importance of airborne particles as opposed to fomites.

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This isn't nearly as hard as some are making it. There were two reasons they recommended against masks early on -- scarcity of PPE at the time and a focus on the contracton of the virus rather than the spread. Once those two things changed, their recommendations changed, and Trump's own surgeon general laid out a really clear case for why at the time.

Unfortunately, people's minds don't change with the facts. Humans are an innately irrational species.

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A little revisionist history here...

Fauci suggested the masks were not effective, and said they may catch the occasional drop of saliva. How then is a mask ineffective to prevent oral transmission - as Fauci suggested - now effective to prevent airborne transmission? Help this "irrational" guy understand the logic.

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Aerosols stay in the air a lot longer than droplets. It isn't that masks don't protect against droplets. It's just that Fauci didn't think the benefit was worth the cost at that time.

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If masks don't work on aerosols, why did Fauci go from suggesting masks are ineffective to supporting mask mandates after we learned the virus is transmissible by air?