Former Surgeon General Jerome Adams says the Center for Disease and Control needs to fix its record on masking to avoid confusing and eroding public trust.
The story: Adams wrote a lengthy Twitter thread in which he said that both he and Dr. Anthony Fauci, the White House’s chief medical advisor, should not have advised people to skip masks last year. He argued that they did so to make sure that there is enough for medical workers but that he now regrets the move.
He argued that “the conditions” and “the science” have changed since then several times but that people still believe they do not need to wear masks. He then urged the CDC to say they were wrong and hit “the reset button.”
In detail: Adams appeared to suggest that vaccinated people should wear masks in places where there is a rise in coronavirus cases, especially where there are traces of the delta variant, regardless of their vaccination status.
“What @CDCgov said was based on the science & conditions at the time, and amounted to “you’re safe IF you vax it OR mask it.” Both the conditions (rising cases) & the science (delta variant) changed, but what people heard and held to was masks were no longer needed…” he tweeted.
He then pointed to cities and counties, such as Los Angeles county, that have said they’ll reinstate mask mandates.
Adams said this “guidance in direct conflict w/ the mask guidance @CDCgo issued a month ago.”
“The sooner CDC says we were wrong, & hits the reset button, the better. Trust me- I know more than anyone,” he wrote.
“Instead of vax it OR mask it, the emerging data suggests CDC should be advising to vax it AND mask it in areas with [rising] cases and positivity- until we see numbers going back down again,” he continued.
“CDC was well intended, but the message was misinterpreted, premature, & wrong. Let’s fix it,” Adams wrote.
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