Dr. Leana Wen, the former head of Planned Parenthood and currently a medical analyst for CNN, called on the Biden White House to politicize science and intervene with the CDC over its recent update on mask guidance.
Thread ==>
The CDC's new guidance has devolved into a giant mess. It was a major blunder to cede responsibility: Effectively ending mask mandates is not just about science–it's a major policy decision that should have been made by President Biden himself.🧵https://t.co/320DGhMt3v
— Leana Wen, M.D. (@DrLeanaWen) May 16, 2021
We’ll go out on a limb and say that she would not be in favor of say President Trump making this “major policy decision” by himself:
To be clear, it was appropriate for the CDC, as a scientific agency, to review the data & come out with a statement that vaccinated people are at little risk for contracting #covid19 & spreading it to others.
But they went way beyond this to basically end all indoor masking. /2
— Leana Wen, M.D. (@DrLeanaWen) May 16, 2021
But when a Dem is in the White House, it’s different?
Arguably, this was the single biggest decision that the Biden team has made on #covid19, yet the president himself didn't find out about it until the morning of the announcement.
This was an astounding strategic and tactical mistake. /3https://t.co/jG3fSv8oUW
— Leana Wen, M.D. (@DrLeanaWen) May 16, 2021
“The White House needs to intervene now,” she says:
The White House needs to intervene now.
Some actions:
* Clarify that if vaccine status can't be verified, indoor mask mandates must still remain in place.* Define region-by-region criteria for when such mandates can be lifted – i.e. when 70% of a community is vaccinated. /4
— Leana Wen, M.D. (@DrLeanaWen) May 16, 2021
Recommended
And she wants national vaccine passports, too:
* Stop its queasiness over vaccine verification. Businesses, employers & schools are looking for leadership on how they can ensure a safe environment. The White House has already been working on minimum requirements for such credentialing; this is the time to release them. /5
— Leana Wen, M.D. (@DrLeanaWen) May 16, 2021
Good luck with this one:
* Critically, President Biden needs to own that CDC's guidance was released prematurely & without considering many consequences.
The White House must engage local/state officials, union reps, business leaders, and offer a big mea culpa for not having done so before. /6
— Leana Wen, M.D. (@DrLeanaWen) May 16, 2021
And:
A decision on something as overarching & consequential as ending mask mandates should have been directed from the very top. If Pres Biden does not course-correct, the existing confusion could harm Americans' health & prolong the pandemic. /END @aslavitt46 @WHCOVIDResponse @WHCOS
— Leana Wen, M.D. (@DrLeanaWen) May 16, 2021
***
Join the conversation as a VIP Member