Dr. Anthony Fauci: No Data Showing Double Masking Works

Dr. Anthony Fauci revised his recommendation that Americans wear two masks to further protect themselves from the coronavirus.

Fauci spoke about double masking in a video livestream interview with the American Federation of Teachers (AFT) on Thursday.

“There’s nothing wrong with that but there’s no data that indicates that that is going to make a difference,” Fauci said.

Last Monday, Fauci said that wearing two masks “likely” made it safer, claiming that it only made “common sense” to have another layer of protection.

“So, if you have a physical covering with one layer, you put another layer on, it just makes common sense that it likely would be more effective,” Fauci said in an interview with NBC News “TODAY.” “That’s the reason why you see people either double masking or doing a version of an N95.”

He also said it was important for vaccinated individuals to keep wearing masks because they could still be carrying the coronavirus.

The virus, he explained, could be transmitted by individuals protected by the vaccine because they would not show any symptoms.

“Then you could inadvertently or innocently transmit the infection by not wearing a mask,” Fauci said, admitting that it seemed “paradoxical.”

He said that in the next few months, he hoped to have scientific studies on the amount of virus found in individuals who were vaccinated versus those who were not.

“I believe we’ll see that the level of virus in people who have been vaccinated but are infected without symptoms likely will be very low,” he said.

He continued, “Until we know that, wear the mask.”

Fauci said that even though he had been vaccinated against the virus, he would continue to wear a mask.

“When you see me out when I am not talking to a screen but with people, this is what I do, even though I am so-called protected from clinical disease,” he said.