Trump's Surgeon General Weighs in on Mask Mandates

Former United States Surgeon General Jerome Adams, who served in former President Donald Trump's administration, recently weighed in on discussions surrounding the possible return of mask mandates in certain settings due to the arrival of new COVID-19 variants.

In a post to X, formerly Twitter, Adams shared a study from the New Scientist that found masking was "unequivocally effective" at curbing the spread of the coronavirus.

"Unequivocally. Well this is gonna upset quite a few people," Adams wrote late last month. "How well these measures worked varied depending on how and when they were implemented, but they were still 'unequivocally effective,' the report says."

The post by Adams comes amid recent conversations on mask mandates as new COVID-19 variants have been detected in the country, resulting in a slight uptick in new cases. According to data from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) from August 13 to 19, the number of COVID-19 hospitalizations increased by 18.8 percent compared to the previous week. The data also shows a slight rise in COVID-19 related deaths over the past few weeks.

The CDC also recently said that the new BA.2.86 (Pirola) variant was detected in the U.S. while another new variant, EG.5 (Eris) was previously labeled a variant of interest by the World Health Organization (WHO).

Though the WHO has categorized EG.5 as low risk to public health, the CDC has assessed BA.2.86 to be more likely to infect people who have existing immunity to the virus, either through vaccination or prior infections.

Amid concerns surrounding a slight increase in cases and hospitalizations, places such as Morris Brown College in Atlanta and some hospitals in New York have announced the return to mask mandates.

A CDC spokesperson previously told Newsweek that the health agency does not have any current plans to call for a nationwide mask mandate, saying that it does not issue mandates, but instead makes recommendations.

"We will continue monitoring and will adjust our recommendations accordingly," the CDC spokesperson said on Thursday.

On Friday, a CDC spokesperson told Newsweek that the agency's "advice for individual and community actions around COVID-19 are tied to hospital admission levels, which are currently low for more than 96 percent of the country."

"Anyone may choose to wear a mask in crowded or poorly ventilated indoor areas, including on public transportation and in transportation hubs at any time," the spokesperson added.

In another post to X on Tuesday, Adams responded to a rising number of COVID-19 hospitalizations and wrote, "Are you against wasteful government spending? The average US hospital stay is 4.6 days, at an average cost of $13,262. So last week, the virus that some call 'just a cold,' and others say we should 'ignore,' directly cost our healthcare system $13k x 15,000 = $195 million."

"Improved ventilation N95s available for high risk/those who want them. Promotion and availability in high transmission areas of test and treat resources. Increased wastewater surveillance and real time data to inform the public. None of these involve lockdowns or mandates," he added in a subsequent post.

Meanwhile, Trump who is the GOP frontrunner in the 2024 presidential election responded to conversations surrounding mask mandates in a Wednesday video message on X and said, "To every COVID tyrant who wants to take away our freedom, hear these words: We will not comply, so don't even think about it. We will not shut down our schools. We will not accept your lockdowns. We will not abide by your mask mandates and we will not tolerate your vaccine mandates."