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Fauci says 'hopefully' making young kids wear masks won't have 'lasting negative impact'
White House Chief Health Adviser Dr. Anthony Fauci said Monday that "hopefully" making young kids wear face masks won’t have any "lasting negative impact" on them.
During an interview with conservative radio host Hugh Hewitt, Fauci said it’s important to keep an "open mind" about masking after the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention recommended that unvaccinated children ages 2 and older wear masks and that students wear masks in all K-12 schools, regardless of vaccination status, in light of the rapid spread of the COVID-19 delta variant.
"It's not comfortable, obviously, for children to wear masks, particularly the younger children," he said. "But you know, what we’re starting to see, Hugh, and I think it's going to unfold even more as the weeks go by, that this virus not only is so extraordinarily transmissible, but we're starting to see pediatric hospitals get more and more younger people and kids not only numerically, but what seems to be more severe disease.
"Now we're tracking that, the CDC is tracking that really very carefully, so it’s going to be a balance that we would feel very badly if we all of a sudden said OK, kids, don't wear masks, then you find out retrospectively that this virus in a very, very strange and unusual way is really hitting kids really hard," he continued. "But hopefully, this will be a temporary thing, temporary enough that it doesn't have any lasting negative impact on them."
Hewitt pushed back, citing an editorial Sunday by The Wall Street Journal, titled, "The Case Against Masks for Children," which argues that long-term masking can cause physical and developmental issues in children and that there’s little evidence to back up a mandate.
"Facial expressions are integral to human connection, particularly for younger children who are only learning how to signal fear, confusion and happiness," Hewitt said. "Covering a child's face mutes these nonverbal forms of communication, can result in robotic and emotionless interaction. So, doctor, what did you base it on? Why?"
Fauci responded by claiming the data cited in the editorial "dates back to the alpha variant, not necessarily all the most recent data on delta." CLICK HERE FOR MORE ON OUR TOP STORY.
In other developments:
- Hannity hits hypocrisy of Obama birthday bash: Delta variant 'be damned'
- Tucker Carlson: You can be sophisticated or a superspreader
- Fauci berates mass outdoor gathering in South Dakota, but gives Obama's birthday bash a pass
- Fauci: Allowing virus to replicate could make 'worse variant' that 'could impact the vaccinated'
- Victor Davis Hanson: COVID vaccinations – Team Biden should look in the mirror before pointing fingers
Chicago police officer’s suspected killer charged with first-degree murder
A Chicago man and his brother have been charged in a weekend shooting that left one police officer dead and another seriously wounded, the Chicago Police Department confirmed Monday.
Emonte Morgan, 21, is charged with first-degree murder in Saturday's fatal shooting of 29-year-old officer Ella French, as well as attempted murder and other charges.
His brother, 22-year-old Eric Morgan, faces charges of aggravated unlawful use of a weapon, unlawful use of a weapon by a felon and obstruction of justice.
Officers had stopped a vehicle Saturday with two men and a woman inside just after 9 p.m., when a male passenger opened fire, police said Sunday. Officers reportedly returned fire, striking the passenger who appeared to fire at them.
Earlier Monday, federal prosecutors charged a 29-year-old Indiana man, Jamel Danzy, with purchasing and then illegally supplying the semi-automatic handgun used in the shooting. CLICK HERE FOR MORE.
In other developments:
- Cops send powerful message to Dem mayor after officer's murder
- Chicago alderman reveals the 'issue' behind city's surging crime
- Chicago police identifies 'hero' officer killed during traffic stop: 'We will #NeverForget'
- Brother of slain Chicago police officer speaks out after deadly shooting: 'God took the wrong kid'
Florida’s health department says CDC’s COVID count for state is wrong, 'anticipates' correction
The Florida Department of Health took to Twitter on Monday to ask the Centers of Disease Control and Prevention to update its COVID-19 case tracker for the state because it incorrectly combined "MULTIPLE days into one," which made the Sunday daily case count explode to the state's worst ever.
The department said it follows the CDC’s guidelines for reporting cases. The CDC reported 28,317 new cases on Sunday, which WSVN reported would mark the most confirmed infections in one day in the state since the beginning of the pandemic. Multiple media organizations picked up on the number and the department corrected the stories online with some bite.
"Wrong again. The number of cases @CDCgov released for Florida today is incorrect," it responded to a report in the South Florida Sun-Sentinel. "They combined MULTIPLE days into one. We anticipate CDC will correct the record."
The health department said there were 15,319 cases on Sunday, and a three-day average of 18,795. The CDC did not immediately respond to an after-hours email from Fox News about the issue. CLICK HERE FOR MORE.
In other developments:
- CNN proposes travel bans on states like Florida, Louisiana for rising COVID cases
- Rep. Byron Donalds blasts Democrats institutionalizing vaccine 'segregation': 'That's their history'
- CNN's Jim Acosta ripped for renaming Delta variant the 'DeSantis variant': 'Performance art'
- Cassidy disagrees with DeSantis on school mask mandate ban
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TODAY'S MUST-READS:
- Robert Durst asked if he killed best friend during dramatic testimony
- Georgia shooting: 9-year-old killed in drive-by while sleeping in bed, mom in next room
- Tennessee police: Suspect in custody after gunfire reported at Walmart; 3 people injured
- CNN media pundit Stelter under fire over what he considers Cuomo ‘punishment’
- Where Americans are now being told not to travel to over COVID surge
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SOME PARTING WORDS
Larry Elder, the California GOP gubernatorial candidate seeking to replace Democratic Gov. Gavin Newsom in a Sept. 14 recall election, joined Greg Gutfeld to discuss the race, education and homelessness.
"The legislatures are dominated by super majorities in the Assembly and the Senate," Elder said, "but the governor has a lot of power – even dealing with a hostile legislature – including the power to declare a statewide emergency. I have a line-item veto, I have the ability to appoint the commissioners and people to the public utility commission. I also have that big thing known as the ‘Bully pulpit," so I have a lot of things I can do."
"It’s not hopeless," he added. "We’re talking about crime, we’re talking about the rising cost of living, we’re talking about the outrageous homelessness."
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