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 As the Trump administration fends off accusations that its mixed
messaging on wearing masks hampered the fight against the
coronavirus, Dr. Scott Atlas continued to minimize the importance of
masks with a Twitter post on Saturday, saying, "Masks work? NO."
Twitter Inc removed the tweet on Sunday, saying it violated its
misleading information policy on COVID-19, which targets statements
that have been confirmed to be false or misleading by subject-matter
experts.
The White House had no immediate comment on the decision.
Atlas has downplayed the wearing of masks, a coronavirus containment
measure that has been widely endorsed by health experts but not
enthusiastically promoted by the president.
Trump, a Republican, is seeking re-election on Nov. 3 against
Democratic presidential candidate Joe Biden in the midst of a
pandemic that has weakened the economy and killed more than 217,000
Americans.
For an interactive graphic https://graphics.reuters.com/world-coronavirus-tracker-and-maps
tracking the global spread of coronavirus, open (https://tmsnrt.rs/2FThSv7)
in an external browser.
New infections have been rising fast in the United States, according
to a Reuters analysis, with more than 69,400 reported on Friday, up
from 46,000 a month ago. Total U.S. cases have surpassed 8 million.
Trump, who was hospitalized with the disease for three nights in
early October, has been criss-crossing the country in a surge of
11th-hour campaigning as he lags in many public opinion polls. His
rallies draw thousands of supporters in close quarters, with many
not wearing masks despite federal coronavirus guidelines.
Despite data showing otherwise, Trump has said repeatedly in recent
weeks that the country is "rounding the turn" on coronavirus.
On Sunday, Trump again attributed the latest surge in coronavirus
cases to more testing, but health experts cite increases in
hospitalizations and the rates at which people are testing positive
for the virus to show cases are indeed rising.
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"The United States shows more CASES than other countries, which the Lamestream
Fake News Media pounces on daily, because it TESTS at such a high (and costly)
level," he wrote on Twitter.
Dr. Scott Gottlieb, a former Food and Drug Administration commissioner, said the
United States is probably entering the worst phase of the pandemic without a
national strategy.
"I think the next three months are going to be very challenging. There's really
no backstop against the spread that we're seeing," Gottlieb told CBS's "Face the
Nation" on Sunday.
Hospitalizations were rising in 42 states and there is no intervention short of
a vaccine that can thwart the spread, he said. The White House has come out
against universal masking, against testing asymptomatic and mildly symptomatic
people and wants businesses and schools reopened, he said.
Health and Human Services Secretary Alex Azar urged Americans to continue social
distancing, wearing masks and washing hands. "Hang in there with us," he said on
NBC's "Meet the Press," adding, "We are so close."
However, Gottlieb, who sits on the board of vaccine maker Pfizer Inc, said it
may not be until February or March until the first tranche of people who are
vaccinated are really protected against the virus.
"So it begs the question, 'what is the strategy?'" he said. "And I think the
strategy is just to endure the spread until we get to that vaccine."
(Reporting by Doina Chiacu and Chris Sanders in Washington; Editing by Matthew
Lewis)
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