Fox anchor Martha MacCallum casts doubt on the efficacy of masks
MacCallum: “I always think we're going to look back at these studies and wonder about the true effectiveness of masks and whether or not they really did make a difference”
Published
MARTHA MACCALLUM (ANCHOR): How did the function of the mask change so dramatically to where we are today?
BRETT GIROIR (FORMER ASSISTANT HHS SECRETARY FOR HEALTH): Well, thanks for having me on. I think there are really two issues, number one, we learned about asymptomatic transmission, and that's something we really didn't know then -- that you could be completely symptom free and still be infecting other people -- and that was a very important point. The second point, I think, is also very important, and that is, I don't think he was stating the facts correctly. We did not know that masks didn't work, we did not know that they did work. And I think overstating it the way he did was not a service to the country. We just didn't have the data then, it was clear we had to preserve masks for healthcare workers, but I think that was poor messaging, and we had to reverse that, and I think it took a lot of effort to reverse that.
MACCALLUM: Yeah, I always think we're going to look back at these studies and wonder about the true effectiveness of masks and whether or not they really did make a difference. I think that story continues to be studied and we're learning more about it to be sure.
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GIROIR: And I'm going to plug masks. I do believe masks work, they're still very important for us to wear when there's outbreak areas.