Surgeon General Murthy: ‘Masks Still Remain an Important Tool that We Can Use to Reduce Spread’

On Thursday, Surgeon General Dr. Vivek Murthy pushed for the continuation of masking in certain regions across the United States.

Murthy told CNN’s “New Day” that with an increase in cases across the country, “masks still remain an important tool we can use to reduce the spread.”

“We are seeing an increase in hospitalizations … although I should mention it’s not at the same proportion that we are seeing an increase in cases, and we think part of that decoupling, if you will, is because we have broader immunity in the population; many more people have been vaccinated and boosted, but by we he also have PAXLOVID, and a growing number of people who are using this medication to reduce the risk of hospitalization and death.”

“When it comes to masks … masks still remain an important tool we can use to reduce spread,” he continued. “And reducing spread is important because we don’t want people to get infected, even if they don’t end up in the hospital or die. That’s the most important thing, obviously, it’s to save your life, keep you out of the hospital. But we know people can get long COVID. We know that they can spread it to people who are vulnerable, so the masks are helpful.”

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