CDC quietly lifts universal mask recommendations for health care providers



The U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention has once again quietly changed its COVID-19 recommendations and no longer recommends universal masking in health care settings.

Without fanfare, the agency made sweeping changes to its infection prevention and control recommendations for health care workers on Friday, notably removing the masking recommendation except in areas with high COVID-19 transmission. Additionally, the CDC says vaccination status is no longer used to inform use of face masks, screening testing, or post-exposure recommendations.

“Updates were made to reflect the high levels of vaccine- and infection-induced immunity and the availability of effective treatments and prevention tools,” the updated guidance states.

The CDC is recommending that health care facilities in areas without high virus transmission develop their own protocols for masking. They can "choose not to require" all doctors, patients, and visitors to mask. However, masking is still recommended for individuals in health care settings who have suspected or confirmed COVID-19 cases or have another respiratory illness.

Health care settings "refers to places where healthcare is delivered and includes, but is not limited to, acute care facilities, long-term acute-care facilities, nursing homes, home healthcare, vehicles where healthcare is delivered (e.g., mobile clinics), and outpatient facilities, such as dialysis centers, physician offices, dental offices, and others," the CDC said.

Facilities in counties with high transmission are encouraged to continue universal masking. The CDC says community transmission is the metric used to evaluate whether an area has high transmission, and it refers to the presence and spread of SARS-CoV-2.

About 70% of U.S. counties have high community transmission, according to the CDC.

Community transmission is a different metric from the community level measure used for non-health-care settings.

"COVID-19 Community Levels place an emphasis on measures of the impact of COVID-19 in terms of hospitalizations and healthcare system strain, while accounting for transmission in the community," the CDC says.

Under that metric, only about 7% of U.S. counties are at high risk.

Health care providers were given several other recommendations for COVID-19 protocol in case of an outbreak at their facility. When there is an outbreak, or when doctors are providing care to immunocompromised patients, they are recommended to wear a face mask.

Even in areas with high transmission, providers may establish "well-defined areas" removed from patients where workers can remove their masks. An example might be a staff meeting room.

Health care providers must still abide by the COVID-19 recommendations imposed by state and local governments where they are. In New York, for example, the state still requires masks in medical settings regardless of the CDC's recommendations.

Top health officials advise Biden admin to back off booster shots: report



President Joe Biden in recent weeks has championed COVID-19 vaccine booster shots as a means of strengthening protection against the virus, but now experts are reportedly advising the president's administration to back off, arguing the science doesn't justify widespread use of the third shot.

According to Politico, several prominent doctors and scientists outside of the administration held a call with federal officials last week advising against promoting COVID-19 booster shots. These experts said that current data on vaccine performance doesn't support using booster shots widely to reduce the risk of a breakthrough COVID-19 infection.

The call reportedly took place on Sept. 27, the same day Biden made a big deal out of receiving his booster shot, and included White House chief medical adviser Dr. Anthony Fauci and policy adviser Cameron Webb, as well as the heads of the Food and Drug Administration and Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. The outside experts advised that booster shots should only be given to "people most at risk of severe Covid-19 to reduce hospitalizations and deaths," Politico reported.

For weeks, the messaging from Biden's White House strongly supported securing booster shots for every vaccinated American. But the FDA and the CDC have yet to authorize the use of COVID-19 booster shots. A week before the call took place, the CDC's independent vaccine advisory committee recommended that the Pfizer-BioNTech booster shot be reserved for high-risk groups like the elderly or the immunocompromised.

The recommendation contradicted messaging from Biden and particularly from Fauci, who has repeatedly said that people will likely need a third vaccine dose to be considered fully vaccinated against COVID-19.

Politico's sources described the call as "the tensest one to date," highlighting Fauci's disagreements with the outside expert's position on boosters.

The rescheduled call was the tensest one to date, according to the three people with information on the talks. Fauci argued that the CDC committee's stance — that science did not support giving boosters to all adults — was incorrect. And he dismissed suggestions that the administration had to choose between a broad U.S. booster campaign and donating vaccines to countries in need.

The president's chief medical adviser also told the outside experts that boosters could, and should, be given widely to reduce the spread of the coronavirus rather than only to prevent severe disease or death.

Fauci's remarks drew disagreement on the call, the five people familiar with the matter said. Several participants were left mystified about the goal of the government's vaccination campaign.

"It was very tense," one person said. "More than anything, it was like Fauci felt he needed to make a point."

On the 2020 campaign trail, Biden promised to "follow the science" on COVID-19. But despite the recommendations from the FDA and CDC, he has publicly maintained that booster shots will soon become available "across the board."

In the coming weeks, Biden officials will need to decide if Moderna and Johnson & Johnson vaccine recipients will need booster shots, whether people can receive doses of two different vaccines, and whether the Pfizer shot will be approved for children younger than 12.

The report on this call highlights growing disagreement between Biden and his political appointees and the scientific experts inside and out of the federal government's health agencies.

CDC updates mask guidelines for K-12 schools, strongly recommends vaccination for children



The U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention released updated mask guidance on Friday for K-12 schools, permitting vaccinated students to discard face coverings except when they are riding the school bus or if the school decides otherwise.

The federal guidelines are not mandatory, but many local school districts and state government officials take CDC recommendations into strong consideration when making policy.

Removing school face mask requirements for children who have received both doses of a COVID-19 vaccine may be used as an incentive for parents to get their eligible children vaccinated.

"Students benefit from in-person learning, and safely returning to in-person instruction in the fall 2021 is a priority," the CDC said. "Vaccination is currently the leading public health prevention strategy to end the COVID-19 pandemic. Promoting vaccination can help schools safely return to in-person learning as well as extracurricular activities and sports."

Currently, children older than 12 are eligible to receive the Pfizer vaccine, which requires two doses three weeks apart. While public health experts stress that the benefits of vaccination outweigh potential risks, parents should be aware there is a possible link between mRNA vaccines such as the Pfizer vaccine and rare cases of heart inflammation, particularly among young males.

Unvaccinated students and staff should continue to wear masks, according to the CDC. Additionally, the CDC recommends that unvaccinated kids be socially distanced in the classroom with at least three feet of separation from other children. "When it is not possible to maintain a physical distance of at least 3 feet, such as when schools cannot fully re-open while maintaining these distances, it is especially important to layer multiple other prevention strategies, such as indoor masking," the CDC said.

All bus drivers and passengers, vaccinated or not, should wear masks while traveling to and from school.

The CDC did not weigh in on the controversial issue of whether school districts should require students to show proof of vaccination. "Policies or practices related to providing or receiving proof of COVID-19 vaccination should comply with all relevant state, tribal, local, or territorial laws and regulations," the agency said.

Increased concerns over COVID-19 variants could influence public policy decisions as schools consider whether to adopt the CDC's recommendations. Recent spikes in coronavirus cases have been attributed to the Delta variant, which appears to be more transmissible than other variants, although it is unclear whether it is deadlier.

Recently, Biden administration public health officials have suggested that even vaccinated Americans may want to consider wearing masks again when traveling to areas with low vaccination rates. While a vaccinated individual is protected from getting sick, there is a risk that the virus can still spread to unvaccinated people who can get very sick, and mask-wearing is believed to mitigate spread of the virus.

Study: Higher than expected rate of heart inflammation reported among vaccinated US military members



A study of U.S. military members who were vaccinated against COVID-19 found a higher than expected rate of heart inflammation reported by those who received the vaccine, though cases of this adverse effect are still extremely rare.

The study, published Tuesday, took a retrospective look at patients serving in the military who were vaccinated with an mRNA vaccine between January and April 2021. A total of 23 male patients ages 20-51, 22 of whom are currently serving and one who is retired, showed symptoms associated with myocarditis (heart inflammation) within four days after receiving their vaccine shots. These patients received either the Pfizer and BioNTech or Moderna vaccines.

Throughout this period, the military administered more than 2.8 million vaccine doses. Estimates predicted that eight or fewer patients would report heart inflammation out of the 436,000 male military members who received two COVID-19 vaccine shots.

"While the observed number of myocarditis cases was small, the number was higher than expected among male military members after a second vaccine dose," the study said.

All patients received brief supported care and had recovered or were recovering from their symptoms by the time the study was published.

The study notes that incidents of heart inflammation were not reported following vaccination in any of the clinical trials of current COVID-19 vaccines. "Adverse cardiac events of any kind were reported in less than 0.1% of trial participants, and rates were not higher in recipients of vaccine compared with placebo. The inability to identify rare adverse events is understandable in preauthorization testing since fewer than 20 000 participants received a vaccine in each trial," the study said.

The bottom line is that while some people who receive an mRNA COVID-19 vaccine may report chest pain and other symptoms of heart inflammation, those cases are extremely rare. The risks of the vaccines must be weighed against the benefits of immunization against COVID-19 — which is also known to cause heart inflammation.

"Recognition of the substantial morbidity associated with COVID-19 infection, including risk of cardiac injury, and the strong effectiveness of immunization in preventing infection provide important context for this topic," the study said. "Concerns about rare adverse events following immunization should not diminish overall confidence in the value of vaccination."

Last week, the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention issued an update on reported cases of heart inflammation in people who have received an mRNA vaccine.

"Since April 2021, there have been more than a thousand reports to the Vaccine Adverse Event Reporting System (VAERS) of cases of inflammation of the heart—called myocarditis and pericarditis—happening after mRNA COVID-19 vaccination (i.e., Pfizer-BioNTech, Moderna) in the United States," the CDC said.

The cases were mostly reported among male adolescents and young adults age 16 years or older within days after receiving their second vaccine shot.

"These reports are rare, given the hundreds of millions of vaccine doses administered," the CDC said. The agency continues to recommend COVID-19 vaccination for everyone 12-years-old and older given the risk of COVID-19 illness and possibly severe complications.

Horowitz: CDC admits to heart problems among young vaccinated. Solution? More vaccination!



When in the history of vaccines have we seen the CDC put out information showing that young males who get a specific shot temporarily approved by the FDA are up to 200 times more likely to suffer from heart inflammation as a side effect? As crazy as that outcome is, even zanier is that even after these revelations, nothing is being done to prevent colleges from forcing young adults to assume such risk for a virus that poses no statistically significant clinical danger to them.

Yesterday, the CDC's Advisory Committee on Immunization Practices finally held its emergency meeting to discuss the emerging evidence of myocarditis cases among newly vaccinated teens and young adults. The group conceded that there is a "likely association" between vaccination of young people, particularly males, and myocarditis.

"Clinical presentation of myocarditis cases following vaccination has been distinct, occurring most often within one week after dose two, with chest pain as the most common presentation," said Dr. Grace Lee, who chairs the committee's safety group.

ACIP published an updated presentation showing striking data from the Vaccine Adverse Event Reporting System indicating an elevated risk among people under 30 years old — the very people who are not susceptible to serious illness from COVID. The data for 18- to 24-year-old males showed as much as a 200-fold increase in myocarditis cases within seven days of the second dose over the background rate of everyday myocarditis occurrence.

I expected to see a follow-up statement with the CDC recommending the FDA pull authorization for the vaccine among younger people, not to mention a cease-and-desist notice to all private and public entities forcing teens to get vaccinated for a summer job or entry into college. Instead … crickets!

The government establishment is needlessly imposing an experimental mRNA vaccine on people who are not threatened by the virus. Also, this is just one side effect we are now observing from data that is likely under-reported due to the cumbersome process (and threat of prosecution for falsification) doctors must navigate to report adverse events.

When have we ever done something like this in all our medical history? Typically, a novel vaccine this experimental that has already proven to come with side effects would be pulled from the market by a mile. Yet it is still being forced down the throats of youngsters through endless taxpayer-funded marketing and even coercion.

In fact, not only was ACIP silent on the call to action that should have been engendered by its findings, it continues to recommend use of the vaccine even for those who get myocarditis after the first dose!

This is insane. @CDCgov ACIP is suggesting if a kid has heart injury from dose 1 of #CovidVaccine go ahead and cons… https://t.co/5RnGLhsdPI

— Philip Holloway 😊 (@PhilHollowayEsq) 1624471022.0

They note the doctor should "consider proceeding" with the second dose of the shot, even after a patient suffers myocarditis from the first shot, so long as the heart has recovered!

But again, for what? To what end? How could something like a cold for young adults justify such risk we never assume in any other experimental product?

Because the "system" demands it.

Just consider the fact that on Monday, a number of internet sleuths helped publicize guidance from the WHO that children under 18 are not recommended to get the vaccine. That guidance had been on the website for several months, but the minute it was made famous, the WHO modified the language:

Here's the "before" & "after" on the WHO's recommendation re: vaccinating children against C19."Before" today's r… https://t.co/EgviRnstd5

— Emma Woodhouse 😁 (@EWoodhouse7) 1624404180.0

The WHO underwent a similar flip on asymptomatic transmission and mask-wearing after its initial non-political guidance was publicized. In May 2020, the WHO said that asymptomatic spread was "very rare." Then, like any time a major scientific figure reveals the truth, the WHO suddenly recanted that position when the media raised a howl. But the "experts" never explained where the evidence exists to show major community spread through asymptomatic individuals. However, the subsequent research all backed up the original scientifically grounded assertion before the political science kicked in.

Likewise, with regard to universal masking, the WHO initially advised against healthy people wearing masks in a community setting, even going so far as to call it a "false sense of security."

"The wide use of masks by healthy people in the community setting is not supported by current evidence and carries uncertainties and critical risks," wrote the WHO in the April 6, 2020, guidance. On June 5, it reiterated that there is no evidence to suggest masks help, but reversed course anyway due to political pressure. Despite its warning countries to do further research, especially with children wearing masks, not a single randomized controlled trial has shown masks to work in the ensuing months, yet the policy was never changed, just as with asymptomatic spread and vaccine side effects.

The questions everyone must ask: If they are willing to lie to us on these questions, how can we take anything else about the virus and vaccines for granted? For example, who is to say there are no long-term concerns about health risks from this vaccine given that there were never any long-term trials conducted before essentially making this vaccine mandatory in many aspects of the workplace and culture?

The advisory panel shockingly concluded that the benefits of receiving a shot still "clearly outweigh" the risks. However, we already know that unvaccinated children are still less at risk than vaccinated young adults and 100 times less at risk than vaccinated 75+-year-olds! And that doesn't account for the fact that the CDC's own data show that 45% of the small number of hospitalizations blamed on COVID were likely incidental and really driven by other ailments. Plus, as of March, over 40% of those ages 4-49 were already infected. Not only does that fact make vaccination 100% risk and zero benefit, there are several studies that show those already previously infected have more common and severe reactions to the vaccine.

The only possible way to understand the benefit of experimenting on children outweighing the risks is if you are getting rich off turning a generation of children into lab rats.

Rand Paul wins: Dr. Fauci admits he wore a mask for show to avoid sending 'mixed signals'



President Joe Biden's chief medical adviser, Dr. Anthony Fauci, on Tuesday confirmed what Sen. Rand Paul (R-Ky.) told him two months ago about mask-wearing being unnecessary for Americans vaccinated against COVID-19.

Fauci appeared on ABC's"Good Morning America" to discuss the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention's new mask recommendations, reiterating that the CDC says it's safe for vaccinated people to stop wearing face coverings. He explained that the science has "evolved" over the last few weeks to show that vaccinated people are protected from infection and that the risk of them spreading the virus to someone else is "extremely low, very very low."

When asked by host George Stephanopoulos how his personal mask-wearing habits have changed, Fauci responded that he feels more comfortable being seen in public indoors without a mask. Though he was vaccinated in December, Fauci said he had continued to wear a mask to avoid sending "mixed signals" to the American people by not wearing a mask.

"I'm obviously careful because I'm a physician and a health care provider. I am now much more comfortable in people seeing me indoors without a mask, I mean, before the CDC made the recommendation change I didn't want to look like I was giving mixed signals," Fauci told ABC News.

"But being a fully vaccinated person the chances of my getting infected in an indoor setting is extremely low. And that's the reason why in indoor settings now I feel comfortable about not wearing a mask because I'm fully vaccinated."

Exactly two months ago, on March 18, Fauci told a different story to Sen. Paul during a hearing on the pandemic response. Paul had grilled Fauci on the absence of scientific evidence to suggest that vaccinated Americans needed to wear masks.

"You're telling everybody to wear a mask whether they've had an infection or a vaccine, what I'm saying is they have immunity and everybody agrees they have immunity," Paul said. "What studies do you have that people who have had the vaccine or have had the infection are spreading the infection?"

"If we're not spreading the infection, isn't it just theater?" he pressed.

At the time, Fauci told Paul "I totally disagree with you" and insisted that mask-wearing is not theater because of the risk that vaccines did not protect against COVID-19 variants.

Now, Fauci admits that he continued to wear a mask indoors even though he was vaccinated and knew he didn't need to because he didn't want to send "mixed signals" to the American people, which appears to be the very definition of "theater."

Sen. Paul has not yet commented publicly on Fauci's remarks but he did share the following social media post from the Republican Party of Kentucky: "Two months TO THE DAY after Dr. @RandPaul said Dr. Fauci was performing 'theater' and wearing two masks 'for show' despite being vaccinated, Dr. Fauci finally admits it was, indeed, for show."

CNN's medical analyst stuns Anderson Cooper by supporting Biden's decision to relax outdoor mask mandate



Anderson Cooper tried to get CNN's medical analyst to criticize the Biden administration for loosening guidelines on wearing masks outside but she instead said they should ease them even more.

Leana Wen made the comments while appearing on Cooper's show on Monday evening after the CDC released new guidelines for mask wearing for those who have been vaccinated.

"Is that a risk?" asked Cooper of the new mask guidelines. "Are more people just going to start taking off their masks, whether or not they have been vaccinated? It's not like anybody's checking."

"I think, frankly, outdoor-mask mandates should just go, regardless of whether you're vaccinated," Wen responded.

"I actually think outdoor mask mandates can go, but I also think we can do a lot more with, specifically, incentivizing vaccination, including allowing businesses to come back at full capacity if they are checking for proof of vaccination," she added.

Wen also chided the administration for not incentivizing people to get the vaccine.

"I understand that the Biden team wants to be cautious, but caution comes at a price," Wen said earlier in the interview.

"And that price is that people are saying, well, what's the point of getting vaccinated? If not that much changes for me. I think that what the Biden administration has been doing is to say, here's what we, as a society, should do. Once we reach a certain level of vaccination in the society, once the infection level decreases, we'll lift restrictions for everyone," she explained.

"But I think they're discounting that many Americans want to know, what's in it for me? They don't want to wait until everyone gets to some elusive herd immunity," Wen continued.

"I think it will be a lot more effective if we say once you are fully vaccinated, that's the end of the road for you," she added. "So at that point, you're able to take off your mask outside. You're able to go about enjoying many aspects of pre-pandemic life. I think that is going to be key to overcoming vaccine hesitancy."

Wen then posted the video of some of her comments on her Twitter account.

"Here's what I hope the Biden team will announce today," Wen tweeted. "They need to give much more latitude to what fully vaccinated people can do. I understand the need for caution, but caution comes at a price. We need to clearly tell Americans all the benefits that come with being vaccinated."

White House chief medical advisor Dr. Anthony Fauci offered similar conclusions on Sunday on CNN.

"The risk when you're outdoors – which we have been saying all along – is extremely low," said Fauci. "And if you are vaccinated, it's even lower. So you're going to be hearing about those kinds of recommendations soon."

New CDC guidelines: If you've been vaccinated, you can take off your mask outside (most of the time) and indoors (sometimes)



Fully vaccinated Americans do not need to wear masks outdoors, or even indoors in some cases, according to the nation's top health experts, but with some exceptions.

The U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention on Tuesday released new guidance for fully vaccinated Americans, encouraging them to "start doing many things that you had stopped doing because of the pandemic."

Because the vaccines have proven to be effective at protecting people from getting sick, the CDC is recommending that people who have received both doses of a COVID-19 vaccine and have waited two weeks after their second dose begin to return to normal life. The updated guidance covers what vaccinated Americans can do, what pandemic restrictions people ought to continue to observe, and what researchers and scientists still don't know about COVID-19.

If you've been fully vaccinated, the CDC says you can gather outdoors without wearing a mask except in certain crowded settings and venues. Vaccinated individuals can also gather indoors without wearing a mask or staying six feet apart.

"You can gather indoors with unvaccinated people of any age from one other household (for example, visiting with relatives who all live together) without masks or staying 6 feet apart, unless any of those people or anyone they live with has an increased risk for severe illness from COVID-19," the CDC guidelines state.

Those traveling no longer need to get tested for the coronavirus before or after travel or self-quarantine after travel. The CDC advises travelers to pay attention to the COVID-19 restrictions of their travel destination and reminds them that they will still need to show a negative test result if traveling internationally. If you were vaccinated and are returning to the United States from abroad you should still get tested 3-5 days after travel but you do not need to self-quarantine after arriving in the U.S.

Vaccinated Americans who have been around someone who's tested positive for COVID-19 do not need to stay away from others or get tested unless they experience symptoms.

"However, if you live in a group setting (like a correctional or detention facility or group home) and are around someone who has COVID-19, you should still stay away from others for 14 days and get tested, even if you don't have symptoms," the CDC says.

The CDC continues to recommend mask-wearing for indoor public settings and on public transportation. Those who have not completed their vaccine regiments are recommended to continue wearing masks around other unvaccinated individuals.

On the question of COVID-19 variants, the CDC said "early data show the vaccines may work against some variants but could be less effective against others."

While the CDC also said vaccines may help keep people from spreading the disease, research on this matter is ongoing and the CDC will make new recommendations once the research is more conclusive.

Fauci: Risk of catching COVID-19 outdoors is 'extremely low,' expect new mask guidance soon



The U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention will soon issue new guidance on wearing masks outdoors, according to Dr. Anthony Fauci, who also said the risk of contracting COVID-19 while outdoors is "extremely low."

Fauci, the White House's chief medical adviser, told CNN's Jim Acosta on Sunday to expect new recommendations soon, noting that all along, health experts have been saying the risk of contracting the virus outdoors is minimal.

"The risk when you're outdoors – which we have been saying all along – is extremely low. And if you are vaccinated, it's even lower. So you're going to be hearing about those kinds of recommendations soon," he said.

Fauci tells CNN updated outdoor mask guidance likely very soon: "The risk when you’re outdoors – which we have been… https://t.co/A6LdHA75tY
— Jim Acosta (@Jim Acosta)1619384242.0

Fauci's comments echo what he told ABC News' George Stephanopoulos earlier that day, when he said "it's pretty common sense" that the risk of catching COVID-19 outdoors is low.

"I think it's pretty common sense now that outdoor risk is really, really quite low, particularly — I mean, if you are a vaccinated person, wearing a mask outdoors, I mean, obviously, the risk is minuscule," Fauci said.

He went on to say that new guidance from the CDC is forthcoming.

"What I believe you're going to be hearing, what the country is going to be hearing soon is updated guidelines from the CDC. The CDC is a science-based organization. They don't want to make any guidelines unless they look at the data, and the data backs it up," he said.

"But when you look around at the commonsense situation, obviously, the risk is really very low, particularly if you are vaccinated," he added.

The CDC's current guidance advises Americans, even those who have been fully vaccinated, to continue wearing masks and social distancing six feet apart from other people to mitigate spread of the virus. The CDC also says that "masks may not be necessary when you are outside by yourself away from others, or with people who live in your household," but advises Americans to obey local mask mandates in places that have them.

Fauci's latest comments on the risk of contracting COVID-19 outdoors appear to be another flip-flop.

At the onset of the pandemic in March 2020, Dr. Fauci said, "There's no reason to be walking around with a mask," adding that while mask-wearing may "make people feel a little bit better and it might even block a droplet ... it's not providing the perfect protection that people think that it is." But as time went on and medical researchers learned more about the virus, Fauci changed his position and became a strong proponent of wearing masks at all times, even outdoors.

During a Facebook live chat with Rhode Island Gov. Gina Raimondo (D) last August, Fauci advised people to "get as much outdoors as you possibly can," noting that "superspreader" events almost always happen indoors in places like "nursing homes, meat-packing, prisons, choirs in churches, congregations of weddings and other social events where people get together."

"Nothing's 100%, but it's almost invariable that it's indoors. So when you are indoors, make sure you have a mask. When you're outdoors, keep the mask on," Fauci said.

On Oct. 7 Fauci reiterated that being outside is "much less of a risk, but it is a risk." He advised people who want to gather outdoors at places like the beach to gather with people they know have tested negative for the virus and to socially distance and wear masks when appropriate.

"If you separate into almost like pods of people that you know are being careful — maybe people who have been tested, you know they're negative, you know they're not being reckless — and stay with them, but not all over them," Fauci said. "You could be separated by a fair amount. Obviously you're not want to be wearing a mask when you jump in the water. Swim around, have fun. But when you come out, when you're congregating, put a mask on."

President Joe Biden will give an address on the state of the pandemic Tuesday. During his remarks, the president will reportedly announce the new CDC guidance, though exactly what the new guidelines will be remains unclear.

Sen. Rand Paul says Fauci should quit 'fearmongering' on TV, slams CDC suggestion Michigan should lock down again



Sen. Rand Paul (R-Ky.) wants top White House health adviser Dr. Anthony Fauci to "voluntarily remove himself" from national TV programs for "fearmongering" about COVID-19 vaccines, the senator said Tuesday.

"Dr. Fauci should be voluntarily removed from TV because what he says is such a disservice and such fear-mongering and almost all of what he says isn't even matched by the science of his own institute," Paul told Fox Business host Neil Cavuto.

Paul, who has had numerous public disagreements with Fauci over masking and social distancing requirements for people who have been vaccinated or have already recovered from COVID-19, complained that Fauci and other White House health officials were not sharing good news about viral immunity with the American people.

"Some vaccines like smallpox confer immunity lifelong. Some infections like the Spanish Flu, the influenza that was gotten in 1918, they found people with immunity 90 years later. So, there are people that have lifelong immunity. With SARS, which is another coronavirus that came around in about 2004, they found that those people still have immunity 15, 17 years later," explained Paul, who is a physician.

For those like Paul himself who have already contracted COVID-19, "there's a great deal of evidence that you will still have immunity," he argued. He pointed out that cases of reinfection are rare and that there is no evidence of widespread hospitalizations or deaths from COVID-19 reinfection.

"The good news is that even if you've got infected with COVID after you've been vaccinated, you have some immunity, you have partial immunity and it lessens the degree or significance of the disease," Paul said. "Almost everything out there is good news."

.@RandPaul: “Dr. Fauci should be voluntarily removed from TV because what he says is such a disservice and such fea… https://t.co/n64b8QrXVb
— Tom Elliott (@Tom Elliott)1618337532.0

Fauci and other health experts disagree with Sen. Paul. They point out that researchers have not definitively shown the various vaccines will protect against new variants of COVID-19, such as the U.K. variant, and they advise that people continue to practice social distancing and mask-wearing.

As coronavirus cases spike in some parts of the country, notably Michigan, Biden administration officials are even advising states to turn back the clock to spring 2020 and reimpose lockdown policies to slow the spread of the virus. U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention Director Rochelle Walensky said Monday that Michigan, which is currently experiencing the highest rate of new infections, needs to close businesses and shut down the state to slow the spread.

Paul blasted lockdowns as anti-science.

"It doesn't obey the science. There is no scientific evidence that the lockdowns in Michigan have done anything, or in California. In fact, the daily incidents of the disease in the last two months has been about almost one and a half times greater in California than it has been in Florida. The death rate is lower in Florida. So there is no real correlation between economic lockdowns, mask mandates, or any of this," he said.

Then he added: "It is television malpractice for these TV doctors to come on and say the mask is so much more important than the vaccine. It's so much more of an immediate benefit. No, it is not. Most of the people who are getting the disease have been wearing masks. The vaccine work. Almost nobody that's been vaccinated has been hospitalized or died, almost no one."