A CNN medical analyst is now pointing out some things about COVID-19 masks that will make you take notice! That will probably be buried…
CNN medical analyst Leana Wen noted last Monday on the that network that the cloth face masks are not effective against the Omicron variant, urging listeners that they should wear surgical masks instead of the trendy ones.
Wen was speaking in regards to the ball drop on New Year’s Eve in Times Square and she said that those attending the event would need to get vaccine booster shots and make sure that they wear a mask.
“Make sure that you’re vaccinated and boosted,” she said on CNN. “Make sure that you’re wearing a mask even though it’s outdoors. There are lots of people packed around you, wearing a three-ply surgical mask.”
“Don’t wear a cloth mask,” Wen continued. “Cloth masks are little more than facial decorations. There’s no place for them in light of Omicron.”
Wen did agree that the latest New Year’s eve celebration should not be canceled since it is taking place outdoors and everyone was required to be vaccinated.
“We should be keeping the events that are safe and also the events that have fun for people, too,” she said. “We can’t be canceling everything especially if we’re going to be living with COVID for the foreseeable future.”
Wen did clarify her comments later, saying that all she was doing was encouraging people to wear the most effective type of mask.
“My point isn’t that we don’t need masks, but rather that we should require masks that are most effective to prevent disease transmission. Everyone, including children, should be wearing at least a 3-ply surgical mask when indoors & around others of unknown vaccination status,” Wen wrote in a tweet.
Wen’s advice comes amid reports that the new Omicron variant is rapidly spreading in New York and other areas of the country. Early data has pointed to the Omicron variant being less lethal but more contagious than the Delta variant.
Wen’s advice is coming on the heels of the new Omicron variant rapidly spreading throughout many parts of the United States, including New York and other parts of the country. The early data shows that the Omicron variant is less lethal but more contagious than their Delta counterpart. COVID cases in New York City have skyrocketed due to the Omicron variant, and it has led several restaurants to voluntarily shutter.
This led to New York Mayor Bill de Blasio having second thoughts about whether he should go ahead and allow the traditional Times Square Ball Drop. However, he did eventually relent and allow it.
“Everyone’s been told for weeks and weeks, don’t even show up in Times Square unless you’re vaccinated,” de Blasio said on CNN. “Now we’re going to reassess constantly with the new information. We’re going to follow the data and the science.”
