Dr. Scott Atlas, the neuroradiologist with no epidemiology or public health experience who’s emerged as President Trump’s chief advisor on the coronavirus epidemic, had a post removed by Twitter for spreading false information about the effectiveness of masks, NBC News reports.
Atlas’s Saturday tweet was a mix of wrong information and confusing grammar: “Masks work? NO: LA, Miami, Hawaii, Alabama, France, Phlippnes, UK, Spain, Israel. WHO:”widesprd use not supported” + many harms; Heneghan/Oxf CEBM:”despite decades, considerble uncertainty re value”; CDC rvw May:”no sig red’n in inflnz transm’n”; learn why.”
Twitter deleted the tweet by Sunday morning, with a notice that false information about the pandemic is removed by policy.
Atlas later tweeted, “That means the right policy is @realDonaldTrump guideline: use masks for their intended purpose — when close to others, especially hi risk. Otherwise, social distance. No widespread mandates.”
Officially, the Trump administration has no guidelines for mask wearing. Trump says he has “no problem” with mask wearing, but he does not follow local regulations for social distancing, mask wearing or social distancing at his rallies. He also openly mocks people like journalists and Democratic presidential nominee Joe Biden for wearing masks.
Assistant Secretary for Health at the Department of Health and Human Services, Admiral Brett Giroir, the coordinator of the Trump administration’s testing response, later tweeted that masks are effective at stopping transmission of the virus.
#Masks work? YES!
And even though cases/hospitalizations are increasing, we can control #COVID19 by wearing masks when we can't distance, avoiding crowds especially indoors, good hygiene, and smart testing of contacts and to identify/isolate those asymptomatic but infectious— ADM Rachel Levine (@HHS_ASH) October 18, 2020