I have deliberately stayed far far away from this category in SDMB. So understand my ignorance of how you run the show here, and my great reluctance to become embroiled in an energetic political debate.
HOWEVER (you knew that was coming?), the State of Texas is under siege with COVID right now, and even the Governor has been backpedaling for the safety of his State.
The Lieutenant Governor is another story. Somebody please sit him down with all of Dr Anthony Fauci’s official statements as Director of the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases, and let the LG see for himself how many times Dr Fauci has been right.
Unfortunately, Dr Fauci did participate in the party line at the very beginning of the pandemic, by discouraging the use of masks. I rather doubt this was his decision, and I’m sure he has deeply regretted it ever since.
Fauci’s (and most everybody’s) opinion changed as the situation changed. Early on the prevalence of COVID-19 was so low that mask-wearing by the general public was unlikely to have any significant benefit. Even as that started to change, the cloth masks that became common a few weeks later weren’t common at all yet, and there was worry that the surgical masks and N-95s that health care workers needed for patient care would be hoarded by the general public, and that danger likely outweighed the potential benefit.
As the prevalence went up and masks became widely available, the recommendations changed. That’s how science works, especially with constantly changing information.
It’s true. Patrick, Paxton, and Gohmert are just total raging idiot assholes. Even Ted Cruz self-censors himself a little, because he thinks he might be president someday and so he worries how his words will play in Iowa and New Hampshire. But those three? They know they are never leaving Texas, and they pander to the absolute worst of their base.
It’s my understanding that the science wasn’t 100% decided in favor of masks initially so that’s why Dr Fauci didn’t immediately come out in favor of them initially.
Yes, the Lt Governor is being an idiot on purpose with his eyes on the Governor’s mansion. That anti big government stuff plays well in Texas. Even if future office isn’t in his future due to public moods shifting, he won’t be unemployed. Cable news is always an option for a right wing bomb thrower
I believe this is true. But people are using that single point to discredit his expertise in epidemiology and medicine. When he first began giving projected figues for infections and deaths, they sure sounded like WAG.
I read all the email’s released with Dr. Rick Bright’s whistleblower complaint.
He had recognized that we would have a great need for masks as well as other PPE. He was trying to get the attention of the Administration in order to get factories ramped up and to get millions, if not billions, of masks made. He was urging the government to enact the Defense Production Act, to work with a semi-defunct factory to reopen 5 production lines and other concrete steps.
The government did not feel this was a priority, they were negligently indifferent to the upcoming pandemic at the time. This was in late January.
Their plan at that time for dealing with any possible mask shortage was to tell the general public not to buy them so we could save them for the health care workers. So that’s what they did.
There may have been scientists that felt that that masks weren’t likely to stop the spread, but there was no consensus on that. The one thing that those emails exposed was how much the scientists didn’t know. There are pages and pages of emails where they are trying to analyze the data from the infected cruise ships in order to try to figure out how the virus was spread and what the infection rates were. There was very little known at the time.
So, while science may have been a factor in the early lack of masking, it wasn’t a case of “science says masks won’t help”. It was more like - we don’t have nearly enough masks to go around, and science says that it’s better to give our limited stock to healthcare workers and let the general public go without than the reverse.
Then at some point the number of people noticing the inconsistency, asking why our countrymen were the only people not wearing masks and not getting a good answer hit critical mass and they were forced to recommend them.
It was horrible messaging and we all should’ve been wearing them from Day One. It might even have mitigated the lockdowns and economic impact. But we have an incompetent government, so we’ll never know.
I knew it had been replayed, I was more addressing @Czarcasm 's request for cites and including some basic information for those who may have missed this particular piece of . . . how do I put this . . . seriously unsupported by factual data statements. I mean, we aren’t in the Pit.
I’m not anti-Fauci and I never cease to be both stunned and horrified at the antipathy shown toward public health officials at all levels.
That said, the public health response at the federal level was nothing short of disastrous. I don’t necessarily blame Dr. Fauci for that, and he has been among the more credible voices among the household names we’ve seen on TV.
At the same time, there have been times when I felt like he and Dr. Brix have tried to use verbal gymnastics to fit their advice and science into the MAGA filter, and while I can understand the thought process behind it, I think they lose some credibility in the process. I feel the same toward many of the other “adults in the room” who’ve tried to modify their opinions and facts to fit into the president’s spin machine. It didn’t work for General Kelly or Mattis, and it’s not going to work for Drs. Fauci, Brix, or anyone else. They should resign and comment freely. It’s not like they wouldn’t have people wanting to interview them.
But to remain in this capacity and trying to bend and twist with “I think we could have a vaccine,” and “Maybe we won’t have a second surge”…that’s knowingly enabling an administration that has contempt for the truth.
I don’t buy that. All he (they) had to do was to urge people to use a face covering at home - it’s not that hard. I can’t read minds, and I’m sure that they wanted to conserve resources, but it’s clear that failure to urge the use of a face covering was a monumental oversight in this country’s response.
IANA medical professional but at the time, I wondered why they weren’t encouraging masks. The image in my head was of Asians wearing them—I figured they’re already dealing with this stuff and they would know. The lack of PPE for front line responders, doctors, nurses, etc was sufficient reason for me, however, to skip the masks. But as time went on I think we’d have to acknowledge there were other reasons.
First, do no harm. Well, if it isn’t an N95 or comparable, a mask is hardly “bulletproof.” Thin paper masks, cloth masks—a virus can pass through, so these basic masks shouldn’t give people a false sense of security. But you know some people will say, “As long as I wear a mask, I don’t have to stay home.” Early on, we didn’t know how risky that might be.
Even when people do wear masks, many often wear them wrong, like with the nose not covered. They still aren’t clear on the concept.
You wearing a mask protects me more than you. If saving yourself is the motivator, this altruism doesn’t fly…in fact, it’s unconstitutional!
Stay home, wash your hands, socially distance, avoid elderly and other at risk populations, put off unnecessary business and elective surgeries etc. How many rules and changes to their lifestyle will people accept? That’s right, I’m talking about pandemic horrors—getting carryout instead of dining in and (shudder) a lack of haircuts.
If people want to blame Fauci for discouraging masks initially, I think they should reconsider. Mostly though I think it’s just bleating the party line, “Two legs bad, four legs good!”
I think Dr. Fauci has been a good public servant on the whole, and he’s been mostly good in terms of advising the public on how to treat the virus. I’m not at all anti-Fauci.
However, the failure at the national level was so appallingly bad that it demands people be held accountable and that judgment be rather harsh. The real blame lies within the president and the administration for politicizing the outbreak and with Republicans at all levels for enabling him. But there was also an inexcusable level of confusion and lack of preparedness within the bureaucracy, and Fauci is not, IMO, completely blameless for the reasons I’ve already stated.
When the White House was giving daily COVID Task Force Briefings, Trump would take control and blather to the cameras his “feelings” about how to handle COVID. Dr Fauci was put in the terrible position of following Trump, and he would try to “diplomatically” undo everything Trump said.
One instance was the effectiveness of hydroxychloroquine. Trump said, “everything he had read, and he’s a smart guy, looked like hydroxychloroquine was the answer to all prayers.”
Fauci tried to explain that anecdotal evidence isn’t enough to go on.
Trump made other grandiose claims that Fauci tried to dissuade.
Then the Trump cheerleaders began the “Fire Fauci” campaign.
It’s tough to be stuck in the position where you want to tell the President of the United States to STFU.