Dr. Fauci says 2nd wave may not come, masks are a nice gesture

Dr. Anthony Fauci now says that the second wave of COVID-19 may not even happen and that wearing a mask is mostly symbolic at this point.

In a Wednesday interview with CNN’s “Newsroom,” Fauci, a key member of the White House’s coronavirus task force, said that a second COVID-19 wave is not necessarily inevitable.

“We often talk about the possibility of a second wave, or of an outbreak when you’re reopening,” Fauci explained. “We don’t have to accept that as an inevitability.”

“Particularly,” he continued, “when people start thinking about the fall. I want people to really appreciate that it could happen, but it is not inevitable.”

He feels more optimistic as information pours in.

He pointed out that a second wave is entirely preventable if the U.S. is able to have the “workforce, the system, and the will to do the kinds of things that are the clear and effective identification, isolation, and contact tracing.”

IN APRIL, HE SAID IT’S INEVITABLE

In April, however, Fauci insisted that the second wave of coronavirus was inevitable.

During an interview with MSNBC, he said, “It’s inevitable that the coronavirus will return next season. … When it does, how we handle it, will determine our fate.”

Fauci also said that Americans should wear face masks in public to protect themselves — but also to get into good practices.

“I want to protect myself and protect others [by mask-wearing], and also because I want to make it be a symbol for people to see that that’s the kind of thing you should be doing,” he added.

During the interview, Fauci admitted that wearing a mask is not 100% effective, but it is a gesture that shows “respect” for other people.

So it’s a nice gesture?

We now know it’s not fully effective for a number of reasons. For one, the virus can get through even an N95 and unless you clean it constantly, you could be carrying the virus around. Same goes for gloves.

It’s a nice gesture, great, but don’t make it more than it is.

Of course, Dr. Fauci might say something different tomorrow and claim we misunderstood him.

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