‘Don’t Wear a Cloth Mask’: CNN Medical Analyst Says Non-Surgical Masks Are Useless
By
Jackson RichmanDec 21st, 2021, 11:47 am
229 comments
CNN medical analyst
Leana Wen said on Monday that cloth masks are useless in preventing the spread of the
Omicron variant of the coronavirus.
Appearing on
CNN Newsroom, Wen said that New York City Mayor
Bill de Blasio should not cancel the annual New Year’s Eve ball drop in Times Square “because it requires proof of vaccination and it’s outdoors.”
“We should be keeping the events that are safe and also the events that have fun for people, too,” she said. “We can’t be canceling everything especially if we’re going to be living with Covid for the foreseeable future.”
Wen’s advice for those going to the ball drop: “Make sure that you’re vaccinated and boosted. Make sure that you’re wearing a mask even though it’s outdoors. There are lots of people packed around you, wearing a three-ply surgical mask.”
“Don’t wear a cloth mask,” she continued. “
Cloth masks are little more than facial decorations. There’s no place for them in light of Omicron.”
On Twitter Monday evening, Wen clarified her remarks on cloth masks.
“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,” she tweeted.
There have been few studies on the
efficacy of cloth masks in protecting oneself against Covid.
Watch above, via CNN.