Former FDA chief says US coming to a tipping point 'where masks become optional,' criticizes CDC's messaging



Former FDA chief Dr. Scott Gottlieb told "America's Newsroom" host Dana Perino that he believes the country is approaching a tipping point at which "masks become optional."

What are the details?

During a Wednesday appearance on the Fox News show, Gottlieb said that he believes mask mandates will begin to phase out.

"I think we're going to move to a paradigm where masks become optional, encouraged in certain settings, and it's going to be based on what the overall prevalence of infection is, and what the vaccination rate is, and whether or not you're in an environment where there are vulnerable people."

Perino responded, "Yeah, it seems like it's time to move on to that."

Earlier in his remarks to Perino, Gottlieb explained that the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention would have been better serving the public if their remarks on mask guidance were consistent.

"It hasn't been articulated in a way that we can make very practical use of it. When we should and shouldn't be wearing masks, what the risk factors are that should trigger mask mandates in some cases."

He added, "We should be consistent, first of all."

"In a high prevalence environment, particularly when you have vulnerable people, the use of masks can help protect individuals," he continued. "And so if you're one of those individuals trying to use a mask to reduce your risk, I think it would be prudent. But you also need to remember that quality of mask matters, and a cloth mask isn't going to afford an individual nearly as much protection as a level three procedure mask, and you're going to get much more protection from an N-95 mask or a KN-95 mask. So if you're someone who wants to protect yourself because you feel you're at risk of COVID or you're worried about getting an asymptomatic infection and maybe bringing it into the home to a young child, you should be looking at the quality of the mask as well."

Anything else?

Gottlieb said in July that the CDC's ongoing messaging about mask-wearing has been inconsistent and confusing and that the department's guidance recommending that vaccinated persons mask up will have what he said is a "negligible" effect on mitigating the spread of coronavirus.

"I don't think things have shifted, I think they've gotten more confusing for the average consumer because of the shifting advice from CDC," Gottlieb said at the time. "The vaccine doesn't make you impervious to infection. There are some people who are developing mild and asymptomatic infections even after vaccination."

He added, "Whether or not that should then translate into general guidance for the entire population that if you're vaccinated you should wear a mask, I don't think that that's the case. I don't think we're going to get enough bang for our buck by telling vaccinated people they have to wear masks at all times to make it worth our while."

Dr. Scott Gottlieb: New CDC mask guidance is 'confusing,' will have 'negligible impact' on Delta surge



Dr. Scott Gottlieb, former Food and Drug Administration commissioner, said Wednesday that he thinks the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention's new guidance recommending that vaccinated people wear masks will have a "negligible" effect on reducing COVID spread.

"I don't think things have shifted, I think they've gotten more confusing for the average consumer because of the shifting advice from CDC," Gottlieb said during an interview on CNBC News.

The CDC issued new guidance Tuesday recommending that vaccinated people wear masks indoors in public if they are in an area with substantial or high transmission of COVID-19. Increased COVID-19 cases among the unvaccinated caused by the highly transmissible Delta variant and instances of breakthrough infections motivated the CDC to insist that people mask up again, including everyone in K-12 schools, in order to reduce viral spread.

"The bottom line is ... the vaccine doesn't make you impervious to infection. There are some people who are developing mild and asymptomatic infections even after vaccination," explained Gottlieb, who sits on the board of Pfizer. He said those who live in a "high prevalence area" should be aware that even if they are vaccinated a transmissible strain like the Delta variant could spread to elderly people or children who are vulnerable to infection, especially if they are unvaccinated.

But he doesn't think that risk requires widespread masking for everyone in America who's been vaccinated.

"Whether or not that should then translate into general guidance for the entire population that if you're vaccinated you should wear a mask, I don't think that that's the case," he said. "I don't think we're going to get enough bang for our buck by telling vaccinated people they have to wear masks at all times to make it worth our while."

The reason new guidance isn't worthwhile, according to Gottlieb, is that it appears the surge in COVID-19 cases caused by the Delta variant is nearing a peak. He predicted that in "another two or three weeks" the surge of COVID-19 cases will begin to subside.

"This new guidance will have a negligible impact on that," he said.

Some of the states hardest hit by the Delta surge showing some indication that their epidemic waves could be starti… https://t.co/k2KycednLV

— Scott Gottlieb, MD (@ScottGottliebMD) 1627484440.0

Instead of telling all vaccinated people to wear masks indoors, Gottlieb says the CDC should tell people who live in areas at high risk of COVID spread that if they experience symptoms of COVID or come into contact with someone who has it, they should get tested and consider wearing a mask.

People should also be aware that not all masks offer equal protection from contracting the virus or from spreading it.

"The physical properties of the virus as best we know haven't changed. The reason why this Delta strain is more transmissible is because there's just more of it, you develop more virus early in the course of your infection," Gottlieb said.

"If you as an individual want to protect yourself from this virus, mask quality does matter. Wearing a higher quality N95 or KN05 mask is going to afford you more protection. In the setting of a more transmissible strain, you need to be mindful of the quality of the mask that you're wearing."

Wearing a cloth mask or procedure mask will decrease the likelihood of spreading the virus to others, Gottlieb added, but is unlikely to offer protection from other people around you.

Former FDA head says US could 'turn the corner' in 3 weeks on Delta variant outbreak



Dr. Scott Gottlieb, former commissioner of the Food and Drug Administration under the Trump administration, says that the U.S. could "turn the corner" over the next three weeks in COVID-19's latest concerning Delta variant outbreak.

What are the details?

According to a Forbes report on Monday, Gottlieb — who also sits on Pfizer's board — warned that the coronavirus' resurgence across the country is probably more widespread than what's being reported, but he believes that could mean that the U.S. is turning the corner on the latest Delta variant outbreak.

"I believe there's more virus than we're picking up right now," Gottlieb said on Sunday's "Face the Nation," basing his theory on the Delta variant's trajectory in the United Kingdom — which he says is about three to four weeks ahead of the U.S. in terms of the infection rate.

"If you look at the U.K. in the last seven days, they do appear to be turning the corner," he continued. "It's unclear whether that's going to be sustained [since] they just lifted a lot of the mitigation they had in place, but if the U.K. is any guide, we are perhaps further into this epidemic and hopefully going to turn a corner in the next two or maybe three weeks."

Gottlieb in his remarks also advised vaccinated Americans to mask up against the spread of the contagious Delta variant.

Forbes reports 350,000 new COVID-19 cases in the U.S. over the past week, a 172% jump from just two weeks ago and the highest levels since April.

Gottlieb says U.S. likely "much further in this epidemic than we're picking up www.youtube.com

What else?

In a Monday interview with "Squawk Box," Gottlieb added, "I think the more observable trend is what's going on in the United Kingdom, where cases are clearly coming down at this point. There's a very clear trend down. It seems like they've peaked."

While that may be encouraging, Gottlieb warned that the country might face challenges as such a timeline coincides with the reopening of schools for the 2021-22 school year.

“We'll be turning a corner right at the point that schools start to reopen, and my concern is that schools reopening could cause sort of a second bump in cases, or could look like a pattern where you start to see a decline and then it levels out because the reopening of the schools becomes a source of local transmission, and we don't quite get out of it as quickly as we would've," he said. “That remains to be seen."