Former director of America’s National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases (NIAID), Dr. Anthony Fauci has admitted to making up “fake” COVID-19 guidelines such as the six-foot social distancing rule and masking mandates for children. These confessions were disclosed in a bombshell testimony released by Republicans ahead of Fauci’s public testimony on Monday.
In January, during an interview with the House Select Subcommittee on the Coronavirus Pandemic, Fauci revealed that the six-foot social distancing rule “sort of just appeared” and that he did not recall the origins or any supporting studies. “You know, I don’t recall. It sort of just appeared,” Fauci said, according to the committee transcripts. He conceded that studies validating the effectiveness of social distancing would be “very difficult” to conduct.
Fauci also admitted to lacking specific data supporting the use of masks for children to prevent COVID-19 transmission. When asked if he reviewed any studies or data on the effectiveness of masking children, he responded, “I might have, but I don’t recall specifically that I did.” He further acknowledged not following up on subsequent studies regarding the impacts of mandatory mask use on children, many of which have reported negative effects on students’ literacy and learning.
The Republican-released transcript comes just days before Fauci’s scheduled testimony, where he is expected to be grilled about the effectiveness of the COVID restrictions he implemented. Critics have pointed to studies highlighting the adverse effects of these measures, including significant learning losses and social setbacks among children. A National Institute of Health (NIH) study has described the impact of mask use on students’ literacy as “very negative,” while another NIH study found that social distancing led to “depression, generalized anxiety, acute stress, and intrusive thoughts.”
Adding to the controversy, Fauci expressed belief in the possibility of the lab leak theory, which suggests COVID-19 originated from the Wuhan Institute of Virology (WIV). “I think people have made conspiracy aspects from it,” he said, acknowledging, “it could be a lab leak.” This statement marks a significant shift from his earlier stance, particularly given his previous support for the “Proximal Origin” paper that dismissed the lab leak theory.
The House subcommittee has been delving into the origins of the virus and the handling of the pandemic, recently uncovering that Fauci’s former top aide, Dr. David Morens, used personal email accounts to conduct official work and deleted files to avoid transparency. Morens boasted in emails about his ability to make official correspondence “disappear” and about having a “secret back channel” to communicate with Fauci, which has prompted further investigation by the committee.
As the June 3 hearing approaches, the committee is expected to seek clarification on Fauci and Morens’ secret communications and further explore the implications of these revelations on the handling of the pandemic and public trust in health directives.
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