CNN senior medical analyst Dr. Leana Wen weighed in this week on the COVID surge occurring in all 50 states, saying “cloth masks are not appropriate” in preventing cases of the Coronavirus because the disease is “airborne.”
“Cloth masks are not appropriate for this pandemic. It’s not appropriate for Omicron, it was not appropriate for Delta, or any of the previous variants either, because we’re dealing with something that’s airborne,” said Wen when asked to clarify her statement.
“Public health experts have been saying for many months that mask quality really matters. A simple cloth mask won’t do when we are dealing with a highly contagious, airborne virus. People should at least wear a 3-ply surgical mask, or ideally N95 or KN95,” added the analyst.
The doctor made her initial statement on Dec 20, claiming “I do not think that Mayor De Blasio should cancel NYC’s New Year celebration. This is outdoors & requires vaccination. Yes, omicron is surging, but we need to continue activities that are of high-value while adding precautions that reduce risk.”
“Don’t wear a cloth mask. Cloth masks are little more than facial decorations. There’s no place for them in light of Omicron,” she concluded.
Watch Wen’s comments above.
