Rand Paul’s MASK OFF with Fauci: the old “theater” thing again
Yesterday Rand Paul and Anthony Fauci went at it again at a Senate Hearing.
In this corner we have Rand Paul the Ophthamologist cum virologist and mask-less champion.
In the opposite corner, Dr Anthony Fauci Director NIH National Institute of Allergies and Infectious Disease
The sparring this time was about why we are still telling people to wear a mask after vaccination.
NOTE: (Most of what I’ve put down is paraphrase) You can listen in – “Dr. Fauci, Senator Rand Paul argue over masks at hearing”
Paul: with a right cross – If we’ve had the injection and we have immunity, then isn’t telling people to wear a mask just THEATER .
Where’s the proof that we have significant re-infection, hospitalization and death?
Dr. Fauci: left & right cross – Well as of YET in the US we don’t have a significant variant circling around. So we can’t know that.
Fauci: uppercut – Let me just state for the record, masks are not theater. Masks are protective and we have….(interrupted)
Paul: right cross – If you have immunity (masks) are theater….you’re wearing a mask to give comfort to others.
Where’s your proof that people can be re- infected? There is not proof.
Paul: jab -“telling people to continue to wear masks (even 2 masks) is“Policy is based on “conjecture”. *
*The word implies some kind of “guess work”. Fine for an episode of NCIS, but not really for Covid public health policies (including the many changing policies we’ve seen in the last year). The recommendation to wear a mask even after vaccination and immunity is based on the scientific evidence available at the time.
Fauci crosses: The studies you’re talking about (BTW, he names the precise authors of the studies), were in-vitro (in a test tube or something outside the body). Oh and BTW the authors clearly state that they don’t know if this protection would happen in our real bodies (remember I’m paraphrasing)
Paul: low blow You want people to wear masks for another couple of years.” “You’ve been vaccinated and you parade around with two masks for show….You’re defying everything we know about immunity by telling people to wear a mask.”
Fauci: Gloves off – You’re not hearing what I’m saying about variants. (despite multiple Paul interruptions about nanny state and rewarding people after they’ve been vaccinated by setting them free from their masks).
Fauci then gives a short, elegant and understandable presentation of the facts as they are right now in the US. Troubling Covid variants 117, (UK) 526, 427, 429 (CA).
Would be so good and productive if public health departments and local agencies could get out good, understandable and repeated information about Covid variants:
- What is a variant?
- Why should we care about them?
- What do scientists know about the Covid variants?
- What does this mean for protecting myself and my family, and my community?
Wash,
Rince,
Repeat.