I once thought Senator Paul (R-KY) was a pointy-headed libertarian, but now think he’s good for America. He opposes regime-change wars, confronts so-called liberals spewing illiberal cancel-culture BS, and wants to move quickly into a post-COVID world. To this end, he acted as the opposition party, grilling the two-mask-wearing Anthony Fauci. Their exchange last week was eye-opening.
Rand 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 be wearing masks well into 2022?
Anthony Fauci: I’m not sure I understand the connection [between] masks and reinfection. [I’m] 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. I’m saying they have immunity, and everybody agrees they have immunity. What studies do you have that people [after] the vaccine or the infection are spreading the infection? If they’re not spreading the infection, isn’t it just theater?
Fauci: No, it’s not.
Paul: If you’ve had the vaccine, and you’re wearing two masks, isn’t that theater?
Fauci: Here we go again with the theater. The studies that you quote look at in vitro examination of memory immunity, specifically [don’t] pertain to the actual protection [because] it’s in vitro—
Paul: And what study can you point to that shows significant reinfection? There are no studies that show significant reinfection.
Fauci: Let me finish the talk about reinfection and concept of variants; a good reason for a mask. I agree you very likely would have protection from wild type for at least six months, but we have variants circulating—
Paul: Point to the study that shows significant reinfection. What study shows significant reinfection, hospitalization, and death after either natural infection or the vaccine? It doesn’t exist; no evidence [of] significant reinfections after vaccine, a hospitalization in the United States after the second vaccination, or a death in the United States.
Fauci: You’re not hearing what I’m saying about variants. We’re talking about wild type versus variants.
Paul: And what proof is there that there are significant reinfections with hospitalizations and death from the variants? None in our country, zero.
Fauci: Well, because we don’t have a prevalent of a variant yet.
Paul: That’s because you’re making policy based on conjecture.
Fauci: It isn’t based on conjecture.
Paul: You have the conjecture that we’re going to get variants, so you want people to wear a mask for another couple of years.
Fauci: No.
Paul: You’ve been vaccinated and parade around in two masks for show.
Fauci: No.
Paul: You can’t get it again – virtually 0% chance – but you’re defying everything we know about immunity and telling people to wear a mask who have been vaccinated. You should be saying there is no science to say we’re going to have a problem from the large number of [vaccinated] people. If you want to get rid of vaccine hesitancy, tell them they can quit wearing their masks after they get the vaccine…give them a reward instead of telling them that the nanny state’s going to be here for three more years and you got to wear a mask forever. There’s no science behind that.
Fauci: Well, let me just state for the record that masks are not theater. Masks are protective and we—
Paul: In [the matter of] immunity, they are theater.