"They will never let up. There are doctors out there saying ... we may need to wear [masks] forever,” the Kentucky Republican told Fox News’s Laura Ingraham on Friday. “That is ridiculous, and that defies the science."
Sen. Rand Paul contradicted the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention and told people during a FOX News interview on Friday to discard their masks once they have been vaccinated against COVID-19 or have been infected with the coronavirus.
"If you’ve had the disease or you’ve been vaccinated and you’re several weeks out of your second dose, throw your mask away and tell Dr. Fauci to take a leap because, once you have immunity, you don’t need to do this," the Kentucky Republican told Fox News host Lauren Ingram.
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Paul concluded that people who are immune to the virus should “throw your mask away” and “tell Dr. Fauci to take a leap.”
Paul, who practiced the medical profession of ophthalmology - eye surgery to be specific which is not to be mistaken for the service profession of optometry, which are the people who fit customers for eyeglasses, for almost two decades before joining the U.S. Senate in 2010, mentioned a recent Stanford University study that concluded strict lockdowns had no clear benefit over voluntary distancing measures.
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“This was a peer-reviewed study in a medical journal,” Paul said. “They studied 10 different countries, and what they found is that the mandatory lockdowns did no better than voluntary suggestions.”
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“I don’t think we’ve changed the trajectory of the virus at all with any of the things we’re told to do,” he added.
Some on social media criticized Paul for his comments.
"With this ludicrous statement, Rand Paul presents more compelling personal evidence that he remains a very ignorant, dangerous, and misguided individual," tweeted former CIA Director John Brennan. "Unfortunately, we have far too many of them within our midst and within our government as of late."
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"Masks and social distancing will need to continue into the foreseeable future — until we have some level of herd immunity. Masks and distancing are here to stay," Dr. Preeti Malani, the chief health officer at the University of Michigan, told PBS.
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Experts also aren’t sure whether the COVID-19 vaccines prevent people from spreading the virus. As of right now, the vaccines are only known to prevent people from getting sick. Until experts can determine that, the safest thing is to keep wearing masks, according to Dr. Tom Frieden, a former CDC director.
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The CDC says "not enough information is currently available" to lift its recommendations that people wear masks and practice social distancing after getting the vaccine.
"Experts need to understand more about the protection that COVID-19 vaccines provide in real-world conditions before making that decision. Other factors, including how many people get vaccinated and how the virus is spreading in communities, will also affect this decision," the CDC highlights.
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