Fmr CDC Director Urges Mask-Wearing on Fox: ‘We’re Sick of Wearing Masks, But We’ll Be Much Sicker If We Don’t’

Former CDC Director Tom Frieden urged mask-wearing during a Fox News appearance on Friday.

Frieden told Sandra Smith, “The worst is behind us in this country, but that doesn’t mean we’re out of the woods.”

“The delta variant is doubly infectious and, because of that, we have to double down on protection,” he said. “Get vaccinated, and where Delta is spreading widely, wear a mask indoors. I know we’re sick and tired of this pandemic. We’re sick of wearing masks, but we will be much sicker if we don’t. A mask is a small price to play to get our economy moving back faster, to get our kids learning in school, and to save lives.”

Smith asked about the concerns that the CDC saying vaccinated people should mask up will make some unvaccinated people reluctant to get the shot.

“I understand that people wish there was just one answer and it didn’t change,” Frieden said. “But the facts change. No one expected the Delta variant to be this infectious, and the report that got published today had another unexpected finding, which was that the amount of virus in the saliva, in the secretions of vaccinated people who got sick was no lower than the amount of virus in people who hadn’t been vaccinated.”

He emphasized that the vaccines are safe and effective as he addressed breakthrough cases.

“We need to double down on protection because we are dealing with a doubly infectious variant.”

During the interview, Frieden made a point of saying that it’s important to get vaccinated and mask up “so we don’t have to close businesses, we don’t have to close schools, we don’t have to close our economy.”

“We can do both. We can save lives and recover the economy.”

He recommended “layered protection,” with masking and vaccines and better ventilation, to ensure schools can safely stay open.

You can watch above, via Fox News.

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