CDC chief says face masks may provide better protection against COVID-19 than vaccine

The director of the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention Dr Robert Redfield has said on September 16 that wearing a facemask amid the COVID-19 pandemic is the better protection against the deadly disease than a potential vaccine and called them the "best defence". According to reports, while addressing the lawmakers at the Senate Appropriations subcommittee hearing, the CDC director elaborated that he might go as far as saying face coverings are “more guaranteed to protect” himself against the novel coronavirus infection as compared to when he will be injected with the COVID-19 vaccine. 

While explaining his stance, Redfield said that the immunogenicity might be 70 per cent and if for instance, he does not get an immune response, the potential COVID-19 vaccine would fail to protect him. However, on the contrary, Redfield added that the “mask will” safeguard the people and noted that the US citizens have not yet fully embraced the use of facemasks to a level that would effectively control the novel coronavirus outbreak. The US CDC director also said that he does not want to keep asking the people in the age group of 18 and 25, where the disease is spreading, to take responsibility. 

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Trump contradicts CDC Chief 

While CDC Chief reiterated the importance of facemasks in the meeting, US President Donald Trump contradicted Redfield on vaccine roll-out date and said the latter may have been "confused" while testifying to a congressional committee. In the same testimony, the CDC director had said that the COVID-19 vaccine for the general public likely would not be available until probably next summer. 

However, Trump, while answering reporters about the remark, said that Redfield made a mistake because he called the director after the testimony, adding that Redfield appeared to have been confused by the question. 

"No, I think he made a mistake when he said that. It’s just incorrect information. And I called him, and he didn’t tell me that, and I think he got the message may be confused. Maybe it was stated incorrectly. No, we’re ready to go immediately as the vaccine is announced, and it could be announced in October. It could be announced a little bit after October. But once we go, we’re ready," Trump told reporters outside the White House. 

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