Fauci says people are "misinterpreting" the new CDC mask guidance
Mike Allen, author of AM
Anthony Fauci. Photo: Mandel Ngan-AFP/Getty Images
Dr. Anthony Fauci told me for an Axios virtual event airing later today that many Americans are "misinterpreting" the CDC's new mask guidance, which lets vaccinated individuals forego masks indoors.
What he's saying: "I think people are misinterpreting, thinking that this is a removal of a mask mandate for everyone. It's not," Fauci told me. "It's an assurance to those who are vaccinated that they can feel safe, be they outdoors or indoors."
He also said he understood concerns and was sympathetic to store owners or workers concerned about others’ behavior.
“I would favor them being able to make their own choice depending on how they feel about things,” he said.
The big picture: The guidance was met with celebration and consternation. Some public-health experts worry that confusion could endanger unvaccinated people, Axios health care editor Tina Reed writes.
Fauci said that he had started to not wear a mask indoors when he was with fully vaccinated people.
“When I am in a situation where people would be uncomfortable with people without masks, I wear a mask,” he said.
About 123 million Americans – 37% of the population – are fully vaccinated, according to the CDC. People are considered fully vaccinated two weeks after they receive a second dose of the Pfizer or Moderna vaccine or the single-dose Johnson & Johnson vaccine.
Vaccinations are less effective for some populations including cancer patients, organ transplant recipients and other immunocompromised people. Children under 12 do not have access to the vaccine.
Public health experts and others have raised concerns about the guidance, including that it could raise stigma for people who aren’t ready to stop wearing masks and did not include a plan on how to improve access to vaccines.'
CDC back under scrutiny after new mask guidance
When President Biden took office, he vowed to empower the scientists and medical officials at the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) after the revered agency saw its morale and credibility sink under former President Trump.
The CDC has made significant strides to restore its reputation in the first few months of the Biden administration, according to experts who work closely with it, but the agency has had a rocky few weeks that has put a spotlight on its leadership and its relationship with the White House.
The most notable stumble came last week when the White House was caught flat-footed by a major update in CDC guidance that said vaccinated people do not need to wear masks indoors or outdoors, according to multiple people familiar with the process.
Prior to the CDC's guidance shift, the White House had been urging states not to roll back their mask mandates.
But after last week’s announcement, states and cities were scrambling to figure out whether to change their rules to match the new federal advice
Biden was informed the night before about the forthcoming announcement, which came just two weeks after the agency said vaccinated individuals didn’t need to wear a mask outdoors.
The outdoor mask guidance was widely criticized as being confusing and contradictory.
Biden officials, who have spent months urging Americans to mask up while cautioning the fight against the pandemic was far from over, were suddenly shifting to explain how the guidance had so quickly changed and why it was now OK for many Americans to go maskless in almost all settings.
“I think Rochelle Walensky and the CDC, with strong White House support, has regained a lot of their lost trust and reputation,” said Lawrence Gostin, a Georgetown University professor who has worked with the agency for decades, referring to the CDC director. “But I think this will be a significant erosion of that trust and confidence in the public. Because it looks like the CDC literally did an about face that it lurched from overcaution to abandoning all caution.”
Officials at multiple agencies privately questioned whether politics played a role in the rapid change in masking guidance, noting the science behind vaccine efficacy had not changed in the two weeks since the CDC had first eased recommendations. One official noted it was unusual for the president to be reacting and changing his message to cater to the CDC rather than leading the way or being in concert with the health agency.
White House officials have denied that politics played any role, and downplayed the notion that there was any friction with the CDC over the timing of the most recent mask announcement.
Mike Allen, author of AM
Anthony Fauci. Photo: Mandel Ngan-AFP/Getty Images
Dr. Anthony Fauci told me for an Axios virtual event airing later today that many Americans are "misinterpreting" the CDC's new mask guidance, which lets vaccinated individuals forego masks indoors.
What he's saying: "I think people are misinterpreting, thinking that this is a removal of a mask mandate for everyone. It's not," Fauci told me. "It's an assurance to those who are vaccinated that they can feel safe, be they outdoors or indoors."
- "It's not their fault," Fauci added. "People either read them quickly, or listen and hear half of it. They are feeling that we're saying: 'You don't need the mask anymore.' That's not what the CDC said. They said: If you are vaccinated, you can feel safe — that you will not get infected either outdoors or indoors. It did not explicitly say that unvaccinated people should abandon their masks."
He also said he understood concerns and was sympathetic to store owners or workers concerned about others’ behavior.
“I would favor them being able to make their own choice depending on how they feel about things,” he said.
The big picture: The guidance was met with celebration and consternation. Some public-health experts worry that confusion could endanger unvaccinated people, Axios health care editor Tina Reed writes.
Fauci said that he had started to not wear a mask indoors when he was with fully vaccinated people.
“When I am in a situation where people would be uncomfortable with people without masks, I wear a mask,” he said.
- Fauci said Americans will likely need a COVID vaccine booster: "I think we will almost certainly require a booster sometime within a year or so, after getting the primary [shot], because the durability of protection against coronaviruses is generally not lifelong."
- He also said we should expect to keep wearing masks on airplanes for some time — but hopefully months, not years.
About 123 million Americans – 37% of the population – are fully vaccinated, according to the CDC. People are considered fully vaccinated two weeks after they receive a second dose of the Pfizer or Moderna vaccine or the single-dose Johnson & Johnson vaccine.
Vaccinations are less effective for some populations including cancer patients, organ transplant recipients and other immunocompromised people. Children under 12 do not have access to the vaccine.
Public health experts and others have raised concerns about the guidance, including that it could raise stigma for people who aren’t ready to stop wearing masks and did not include a plan on how to improve access to vaccines.'
CDC back under scrutiny after new mask guidance
When President Biden took office, he vowed to empower the scientists and medical officials at the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) after the revered agency saw its morale and credibility sink under former President Trump.
The CDC has made significant strides to restore its reputation in the first few months of the Biden administration, according to experts who work closely with it, but the agency has had a rocky few weeks that has put a spotlight on its leadership and its relationship with the White House.
The most notable stumble came last week when the White House was caught flat-footed by a major update in CDC guidance that said vaccinated people do not need to wear masks indoors or outdoors, according to multiple people familiar with the process.
Prior to the CDC's guidance shift, the White House had been urging states not to roll back their mask mandates.
But after last week’s announcement, states and cities were scrambling to figure out whether to change their rules to match the new federal advice
Biden was informed the night before about the forthcoming announcement, which came just two weeks after the agency said vaccinated individuals didn’t need to wear a mask outdoors.
The outdoor mask guidance was widely criticized as being confusing and contradictory.
Biden officials, who have spent months urging Americans to mask up while cautioning the fight against the pandemic was far from over, were suddenly shifting to explain how the guidance had so quickly changed and why it was now OK for many Americans to go maskless in almost all settings.
“I think Rochelle Walensky and the CDC, with strong White House support, has regained a lot of their lost trust and reputation,” said Lawrence Gostin, a Georgetown University professor who has worked with the agency for decades, referring to the CDC director. “But I think this will be a significant erosion of that trust and confidence in the public. Because it looks like the CDC literally did an about face that it lurched from overcaution to abandoning all caution.”
Officials at multiple agencies privately questioned whether politics played a role in the rapid change in masking guidance, noting the science behind vaccine efficacy had not changed in the two weeks since the CDC had first eased recommendations. One official noted it was unusual for the president to be reacting and changing his message to cater to the CDC rather than leading the way or being in concert with the health agency.
White House officials have denied that politics played any role, and downplayed the notion that there was any friction with the CDC over the timing of the most recent mask announcement.
