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WH medical Advisor Dr. Anthony Fauci • David Rubenstein
White House medical adviser Anthony Fauci once dismissed wearing a mask to prevent infectious disease as a "paranoid" tool, laughing at the prospect during a 2019 sit-down interview on
The David Rubenstein Show.
During the interview, which
aired May 22, 2019, nearly a year before the Chinese coronavirus pandemic hit, Rubenstein and Fauci discussed infectious diseases, vaccines, and measures of protection to prevent illness. At the end of the interview,
Rubenstein asked the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases director to weigh in on the best way to protect oneself from infectious disease.
"And the best way to prevent me from getting an infectious disease and having to have you as my doctor is what? Wearing a mask — " he began, triggering a quick dismissal from Fauci.
"No, no, no," Fauci said, letting out a laugh.
"I don't need to do that," Rubenstein said following Fauci's reaction. "If somebody's- I can see they're getting ready to sneeze or cough, walk away?"
"You avoid all the paranoid aspects and do something positive," Fauci responded, seemingly categorizing mask-wearing as a tool of the "paranoid."
"A. Good diet. B. You don't smoke, I know. I know you don't drink. At least not very much, so that's pretty good. Get some exercise. I know that you don't get as much exercise as you should," Fauci continued.
"Get good sleep. I think the normal, low tech healthy things are the best things you can do, David, to stay healthy," Fauci added.The original video of that conversation may be watched at Bloomberg.com.
This is hardly the first time Fauci has dismissed the need for masks.
During a 60 Minutes interview in March 2020, at the start of the pandemic, he suggested masks provided more psychological relief than anything else.
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