Anti-maskers were not happy with the doctor’s statement about cloth masks
CNN’s chief medical analyst Dr Leana Wen has stated that cloth masks are “useless” against the transmission of the Omicron variant.
Dr Wen said that Mayor Bill de Blasio shouldn’t cancel the iconic New Year’s Eve ball drop in Times Square as proof of vaccination is required and the event is held outdoors.
However, she did say that cloth masks are effectively pointless and has encouraged people to wear three-layer medical masks instead.
I do not think that Mayor De Blasio should cancel NYC’s New Year celebration. This is outdoors & requires vaccination. Yes, omicron is surging, but we need to continue activities that are of high-value while adding precautions that reduce risk. @BilldeBlasio @VictorBlackwell pic.twitter.com/tyOfQ5fT7g
— Leana Wen, M.D. (@DrLeanaWen) December 20, 2021
“We should be keeping the events that are safe and also the events that have fun for people too. We can’t be cancelling everything, especially if we’re going to be living with Covid for the foreseeable future,” she said.
She continued: “I would say that if you choose to go, make sure that you’re vaccinated and boosted, make sure that you’re wearing a mask, even though it’s outdoors, if there are lots of people packed around you, wear a three-ply surgical mask.
“Don’t wear a cloth mask.”
Dr Wen dubbed cloth masks as “facial decorations before adding that there’s “no place for them in light of Omicron”.
The doctor later took to Twitter to elaborate on her statement.
She said: “My point isn’t that we don’t need masks, but rather that we should require masks that are most effective to prevent disease transmission. Everyone, including children, should be wearing at least a three-ply surgical mask when indoors and around others of unknown vaccination status”.
My point isn’t that we don’t need masks, but rather that we should require masks that are most effective to prevent disease transmission. Everyone, including children, should be wearing at least a 3-ply surgical mask when indoors & around others of unknown vaccination status. https://t.co/RXe6efAwsg
— Leana Wen, M.D. (@DrLeanaWen) December 21, 2021
However the anti-maskers are out in force on Twitter, with one responding with: “Pisser. The truth slipped right off the forked tongue. It happens to the best of liars.”
Pisser. The truth slipped right off the forked tongue. It happens to the best of liars. https://t.co/Ng9IthIIlS
— Tim Mann (@TimMannUSAU) December 22, 2021
Another person who offered no evidence of his statement wrote: “Only terrorists think this way.”
Related links:
- Scottish football to go effectively crowd-free as Sturgeon outlines new Covid measures
- Boris Johnson has spaffed his political capitol on boozy nights in lockdown
- What would Christmas restrictions looks like in face of Omicron surge?
