Fauci showed up to yesterday’s hearing utterly unprepared to defend his absolutist position.
Capitol Hill saw a testy exchange between Senator Rand Paul and Dr. Anthony Fauci on Thursday over the effectiveness of the coronavirus vaccines and masks. You can watch it for yourself here — start at 1:01:45.
It began with Paul citing studies that suggest that coronavirus reinfection rates are so low as to be nonexistent, and that for the infinitesimally small number of people who do contract it a second time, symptoms and risks are reduced. Here’s how it went from there:
Paul: Given that no scientific studies have shown significant numbers of reinfections of patients previously infected, or previously vaccinated, what specific studies do you cite to argue that the public should still be wearing masks well into 2022?
Fauci: I’m not sure I understand the connection of what you’re saying about masks and reinfection. We’re talking about people who have never been infected before-
Paul: You’re telling everybody to wear a mask whether they’ve had an infection or a vaccine. What I’m saying is they have immunity and everybody agrees they have immunity. What studies do you have that people that have had the vaccine or have had the infection are spreading the infection? If we’re not spreading the infection, isn’t it just theater? You have the vaccine and you’re wearing two masks, isn’t that theater?
Fauci: No, here we go again with the theater. Let’s get down to the facts. Ok, the studies that you quote . . . look at in-vitro examination of memory immunity, which in their paper they specifically say “this does not necessarily pertain to the actual protection, it’s in-vitro-“
Paul continued to press Fauci for hard data suggesting that the previously infected or vaccinated populations are spreading the disease, while Dr. Fauci chided Paul for not considering “the concept of variants,” which he called “an entirely different ballgame.” Fauci admitted that there have been no variants that have made a significant impact in the United States to this point, causing Paul to call Fauci’s position “policy based on conjecture” and repeating his accusation that Fauci is engaging in mask “theater.” Fauci insisted that they’re “protective.”
Isn’t it all so tiresome?
Paul is basically in the right here. There is no evidence whatsoever to suggest that post-infection or vaccination you face much risk of contracting the disease or represent a threat to others. Moreover, while Fauci cites a Johnson & Johnson study to suggest that the vaccines writ large are not effective against the South African variant, Jim Geraghty has pointed out that the Pfizer vaccine is very effective in combatting it. And besides, the South African variant has been in the country for months and, as Fauci himself acknowledges, has pretty much been a non-factor.
Now I don’t think Paul’s fixation on masks is especially helpful — reopening schools, removing capacity limits, etc. are much more important steps toward normalcy in my own estimation. But he’s absolutely right to criticize Fauci for seemingly never wanting to allow people to legally appear in public unmasked, as well as for the complete and utter failure he’s been as a vaccine advocate. If you want people to get vaccinated, you need to meet them where they are, and where they are is deeply dissatisfied with the status quo. I dove more deeply into this topic here.
Fauci showed up to yesterday’s hearing utterly unprepared to defend his absolutist position and is easily flustered as a witness. When in trouble, he falls back on repeating words like “facts” and “protective” without citing any strong supporting data. President Biden, for the good of the country, consider sidelining Dr. Fauci for a better, more trustworthy public-health figurehead.