CNN’s Wen: Federal Judge Mask Mandate Ruling ‘Doesn’t Mean that Suddenly the Science Has Changed’

CNN medical analyst Dr. Leana Wen reacted on Tuesday to a federal judge striking down the public transportation mask mandate.

While appearing on CNN’s “Inside Politics,” Wen argued that although a judge ruled to end the mandate, it “doesn’t mean that suddenly the science has changed.” She went on to say she wanted the CDC “to have the authority” to impose mandates in the future should another variant appear.

“[W]hat people need to know is that just because this ruling was made by a judge doesn’t mean that suddenly the science has changed,” Wen declared. “We know that masks remain very protective. Masks reduce the risk of virus transmission, and one-way masking — you wearing a mask — protects you very well, and I would absolutely urge for people, especially if they are vulnerable if they’re concerned about getting COVID, to be wearing an N95, KN95 or KF94 mask whenever they are in crowded indoor settings. That includes on airplanes, on buses, on trains. Just do that because that protects you very, very, well.”

She added, “I think it’s fair to say that we are seeing a decoupling between infections and hospitalizations. And that’s in large part because of the number of people who are vaccinated, as well as the fact that about 50% of Americans got Omicron during the last surge. And so, there’s a high baseline degree of immunity that is preventing our hospitals from getting overwhelmed. That’s great, and actually, I’m less worried about what’s happening now. I’m worried about what could happen in the future. What if there’s a new variant that evades existing immunity? What if our hospitals get threatened at the point of being strained again? I want the CDC to have the authority at that point to say that masks have to come back.”

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