Podcast Accuses Dr. Fauci of Lying About Masks, COVID-19 Origin

A viral video clip from a popular podcast received 2.5 million engagements in one day. The video discusses Dr. Fauci’s “leaked” emails, including claims that Fauci said masks don’t work and that he hid evidence that COVID-19 originated in an NIH-funded lab in Wuhan, China. The emails in question are from the early months of the pandemic before researchers fully understood how the virus spreads. During this time, Dr. Fauci and other public health officials recommended that people who are sick should wear masks, not for their own protection but to avoid infecting others. Once it became clear that asymptomatic people could also spread COVID, the guidelines were updated to advise that everyone wear masks to slow transmission of the virus. While the origin of SARS-CoV-2 remains unclear, scientists largely agree that one of the most plausible theories is that the virus originated and evolved from nature. In an email exchange with Dr. Fauci, another researcher noted it was possible that the virus was engineered but after further analysis concluded it was not man-made or manipulated. The investigation into the origins of SARS-CoV-2 will take time.

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The Public Health Communications Collaborative (PHCC) was formed in 2020 to coordinate and amplify public health messaging on COVID-19 and increase Americans’ confidence in guidance from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) and state and local public health officials.

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