WASHINGTON, D.C. – On Sunday, a top health expert appeared on CBS News’ “Face the Nation” and told host Margaret Brennan that amid a massive spike in Omicron cases that cloth masks will not protect people from “this Coronavirus” since it is an “airborne illness” that spreads through airborne transmission.
Dr. Scott Gottlieb, a former Food and Drug Administration commissioner and Pfizer board member, stressed that scientists now understand much more about how COVID-19 spreads through airborne transmission, and that cloth face coverings are just not going to be effective against this Coronavirus.
“Cloth masks aren’t going to provide a lot of protection, that’s the bottom line. This is an airborne illness. We now understand that, and a cloth mask is not going to protect you from a virus that spreads through airborne transmission. It could protect better through droplet transmission, something like the flu, but not something like this coronavirus,” Gottlieb said.
– Dr. Scott Gottlieb, former FDA Commissioner, Pfizer Board Member [Listen to this Statement]
Wanting to follow up on this revelation, which Brennan had been asking Gottlieb about the effectiveness of masks regarding sending children to school, which she stated she herself does not want to send her children to school, with or without a mask, asked for clarification on the types of masks to be used.
But just to button up what you said earlier, though, that your- your teachers and your kids need to be wearing high quality masks, not cloth ones. You made that point. If the FDA does go ahead, —
– Margaret Brennan, CBS News, Face the Nation
Gottlieb was not very clear at all in his answer,
I think that’s- that’s the bottom line, we haven’t done a good job of getting high quality people, the question is, do people have the tools they need? And the answer is in many cases they still don’t.
– Dr. Scott Gottlieb, former FDA Commissioner, Pfizer Board Member
– Right. Right. Well, some states like Connecticut are sending out N95 masks–
Exactly.
– Dr. Scott Gottlieb, former FDA Commissioner, Pfizer Board Member
The transcript can be read in its entirety at https://www.cbsnews.com/full-transcript-dr-scott-gottlieb/
Many have come out with similar statements regarding the inefficiency of cloth masks such as U.S. Senator Rand Paul, M.D., whom Google’s YouTube went as far as to suspend his account for posting such a claim. The Washington Post followed up by giving Paul four Pinocchio’s saying his ‘misleading talk’ went far beyond the usual spin.
Despite a build up of analysis and opinion from professionals in the field, U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) continue to recommend fabric masks for the general public.
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