Earlier this week, former Biden advisor and University of Minnesota Center for Infectious Disease Research and Policy Director Michael Osterholm said the masks Americans are being mandated by the government to wear don't stop the spread of Wuhan coronavirus.
"We know today that many of the face cloth wearings people wear today are not very effective in reducing any of the virus movement in or out. Either you're breathing out or you're breathing in," Osterholm said during an interview with CNN. "We need to talk about better masking. We need to talk about N95 respirators."
Dr. Michael Osterholm: "We know today that many of the face cloth coverings that people wear are not very effective in reducing any of the virus movement..."
— Breaking911 (@Breaking911) August 2, 2021
"...We need to talk about better masking. We need to talk about N-95 respirators." pic.twitter.com/l6z3RAXTe6
During the daily briefing at the White House Friday, Press Secretary Jen Psaki rejected Osterholm's expertise and deferred to scientists employed by the federal government.
"Osterholm is not an [current] advisor to the president, to the administration, to the White House, he doesn't work here. He's a private citizen and a public health expert, but a lot of public health experts are out there speaking, and good for them. I will say that we are going to rely on the advice of medical experts in the federal government on what kind of masks we all should wear, what kind of masks kids should wear and if they change that advice then the Department of Education will be working with schools to make sure the is implemented as a mitigation measure," Psaki said.
Jen Psaki is pressed about Former WH COVID Advisor Michael Osterholm's recent comments about the ineffectiveness of cloth masks.
— Townhall.com (@townhallcom) August 6, 2021
Psaki says that while he is "a public health expert...we are going to continue to rely on the advice of medical experts in the federal government." pic.twitter.com/eOuprTIYdq
Dr. Anthony Fauci, who is the federal government's highest-paid bureaucrat, said in February 2020 that store-bought masks are not effective at stopping Wuhan coronavirus from spreading.
"The typical mask you buy in the drug store is not really effective in keeping out virus, which is small enough to pass through the material. It might, however, provide some slight benefit in keep out gross droplets if someone coughs or sneezes on you. I do not recommend you wear a mask," Fauci wrote in an email.