Former Surgeon General Says CDC Guidance On Masks 'Premature' And 'Wrong'

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The Hill, July 17, 2021. - Excerpts, Ed.

Former U.S. Surgeon General Jerome Adams said the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention’s (CDC) guidance lifting mask recommendations for fully vaccinated Americans was “premature” and “wrong.” Adams, who served in the role under former President Trump, said in a lengthy Twitter thread that he feared the CDC made its decision prematurely amid the rise of the delta variant.

"Last year [Anthony] Fauci and I famously, prematurely, & wrongly advised against masks. I felt it was the best call at the time, but now regret it. I’m worried the CDC also made a similarly premature, misinterpreted, yet still harmful call on masking in the face of delta variant,” Adams said.

The comment from Adams comes amid surges of coronavirus infections in the U.S. driven by the spread of the delta strain. These outbreaks have been centered around areas with lower vaccination rates. CDC Director Rochelle Walensky said Friday that the rise was a “pandemic of the unvaccinated,” noting that almost all of hospitalizations and deaths are among unvaccinated people.

But Los Angeles County and Las Vegas have both mandated residents wear masks indoors regardless of vaccination status. Adams compared the current situation to how federal guidance on masks changed last year. He said that earlier guidance against masks was “based on the science & conditions at the time.” Even though the science changed, people held on to the belief that masks didn't work, he stated...

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https://thehill.com/policy/healthcare/563560-trump-surgeon-general-says-cdc-guidance-on-masks-premature-and-wrong