‘THE MIRACLE IS OVER’: UCSF doctor explains what went wrong in California’s fight against COVID-19
Wearing masks is the obvious answer to Dr. Bob Wachter, chairman of the UCSF Department of Medicine.
“We were wrong about the masks in our early messages that they weren’t that important and, of course, the federal government’s messages that have been inconsistent and erroneous,” Kristen Sze of ABC7 News said Wednesday at 3pm. special coverage of Bay Area events.
“If everyone wore a mask, the rate of new cases would drop dramatically,” Wachter continued. “It wouldn’t go down to zero. The masks are not 100% perfect, but they are pretty good.”
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Scientific studies show that widespread use of masks leads to fewer cases, fewer hospitalizations, and fewer ICU-related hospitalizations related to COVID-19.
Governor Gavin Newsom recently ordered Californians to wear masks in all high-risk settings. Many counties already have stricter mask requirements.
As for a federal mandate on wearing masks, Wachter said, “We should have had it a month or more ago.”
But it’s not just about laws, he said. It’s about enforcing and changing the rules.
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Think back to 50 years ago when it was normal to go into a room and see everyone smoking. Now it would be incredibly strange to see that. And it’s not just because there are rules and laws against it, but because if you did, someone in the room said: “Don’t do that.” And we have to get to a place where people feel comfortable saying to each other, ‘You have to wear a mask.’ “
Watch the full interview with Dr. Wachter on the video player above.
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