Dr. Fauci Clarifies Stance on Importance of Face Masks After Trump’s 'Out of Context' Debate Comments

Dr. Anthony Fauci is clarifying his stance on face masks after comments made by President Donald Trump during the debate Tuesday night. “Dr. Fauci said the opposite. He said very strongly, ‘Masks are not good.’ Then he changed his mind, he said ‘Masks are good,’” Trump said.

Fauci set the record straight during a podcast interview, saying the comments were “taken out of context.” He said that early on in the pandemic, there was a shortage of personal protective equipment, including surgical face masks, for health care providers who “needed them desperately."

Fauci further explained there was concern that the general public would end up “hoarding” surgical masks needed by those working on the front lines.

"But what happened over the ensuing months is that it became clear that cloth coverings worked as well as surgical masks,” Fauci said. "So anybody who has been listening to me over the last several months knows that a conversation does not go by where I do not strongly recommend wearing a mask."

According to the World Health Organization, face masks can reduce the spread of COVID-19 by 85%.

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