On Thursday, Sen. Rand Paul (R-Kentucky) accused Dr. Anthony Fauci, Director of the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases (NIAID), of upholding “nanny state” policies that unnecessarily prolonging facemask use among Americans who are vaccinated against the deadly coronavirus.
Paul, who was infected with the virus in 2020, was repeatedly clashing with Fauci over COVID guidelines, stating that there is no need for vaccinated and previously infected individuals to continue public mask use, according to My Wabash Valley.
The senator asked, “If we’re not spreading the infection, isn’t it just theater? You have the vaccine and you’re wearing two masks, isn’t that theater?”
“What studies do you have that people that have had the vaccine or have had the infection are spreading the infection?” Paul questioned. “If they’re not spreading the infection, isn’t it just theater?”
Dr. Fauci, who is a key member of the White House Coronavirus Task Force, retorted, “Here we go again with the theater. Let’s get down to the facts.”
The NIAID director said the circulation of new strains makes continued facemask use valuable, even though there are no prevalent strains in the United States today.
Paul interrupted by saying, “You’ve been vaccinated and you parade around in two masks for show. There’s a virtually zero-percent chance you are going to get it.”
Disagreeing with Paul, Dr. Fauci said the existing antibodies are specific to a viral strain. He explained that those antibody protections diminish in new variants – the strains that have continued to emerge across the world in recent months. In that context, Dr. Fauci said continued mask use is appropriate.
He said, “We’re not dealing with a static situation with the same virus.”
The CDC said more than 73.6 million Americans have received at least one dose of a COVID vaccine, while nearly 40 million Americans have been fully vaccinated. The story was published on My Wabash Valley, an NBC-affiliated television station.
