Jerry Lynn is here. I’m surprised any of these executive clowns still have jobs. When they hesitated about the guidance and distribution of masks, Omicron galloped across the country. Even if only half of the people in the U.S. wear masks, that’s still a very large number of people, and at least some of the few people who have difficulty getting real N95 or KN95 masks.

Update: Common Dreams reports that Bernie did re-enact legislation to distribute N95 masks to everyone in the U.S. yesterday: Sanders reintroduces ‘N95 masks for all’ legislation.

by Jack Johnson.Originally Posted in common dream

The Biden administration faced growing backlash on Wednesday for rejecting calls from public health experts and progressives for N95 masks to be distributed to all U.S. households to help fight the Omicron wave that is pushing new coronavirus infections to a national record high position.

An unnamed senior administration official claimed in an interview that sparked outrage politics Because “half the country won’t wear any masks”, widespread distribution of high-quality face coverings would be pointless.

It may be trending in some corners of Twitter, but for masks to be a public health tool, people need to actually wear them,” the official said. Say“In order to prevent transmission, the focus should first be on maximizing the number of people who only wear masks, rather than shifting the target to urge everyone to go beyond the use of high-filtration masks to reduce the likelihood of their own inhalation of particulate matter.”

The official’s comments led to new republic Contributing Editor Osita Nwanevu tweet Ironically, “the official policy right now about proper masks is, ‘I don’t know, see if you can find something on Amazon that isn’t counterfeit.'”

gizmoMatt Novak famous Even given the unproven assumption that half of the country won’t be wearing the N95s distributed for free, “the other half of the country, ostensibly Joe Biden’s base, wants to avoid getting sick and possibly dying from Covid -19.”

exhibit @white house We do want free masks, tests and a clear policy on when to use them – it’s not just a folx on Twitter.

join in @MarkedByCovid Sign and share with us: https://t.co/QuwyXL9kSE https://t.co/JWr6FP98z9 pic.twitter.com/sKwgxWO05A

— Michelle Ko (@michelleko2d) January 12, 2022

Public health experts have argued loudly in recent weeks that a Biden administration should promote the use of N95 masks to fight Omicron because cloth masks doesn’t seem to work Prevent the spread of highly contagious variants.

Sen. Bernie Sanders (I-Vt.), Rep. Corey Bush (D-Mo.) and other progressive lawmakers echoed the message, calling for masks as the administration prepares to send masks directly to homes distribution Hundreds of millions of rapid home tests.

With the Biden administration so far refusing to act, Sanders is expected to unveil a bill on Wednesday that would ensure the distribution of N95 masks to every American household — a proposal the Vermont senator has been championing from an early stage epidemic.

“All Americans should wear masks to keep them safe,” Sanders tweeted on Tuesday. “I will introduce legislation tomorrow to deliver N95 masks to every home in the country. It will save lives and reduce healthcare costs.”

Rep. Ro Khanna (D-Calif.) said Tuesday that he will introduce supporting legislation in the House.

Proud to lead this effort with us @SenSanders in the house. If we recommend people wear N95 masks, then we should provide them. https://t.co/pSd5v31bXf

— Rep. Ro Khanna (@RepRoKhanna) January 11, 2022

politics Some administration officials — including surgeon Vivek Murthy — and allies outside the White House have pressured President Joe Biden to take Sanders and others under pressure from Omicron, reports Tuesday said. the approach promoted wreak havoc all over the country.

“If we recommend people wear N95 masks, then we should provide them.”

Céline Gounder, an infectious disease expert and former Covid-19 adviser to Biden’s transition team, told politics She has called on the White House to “make N95 and KN95 masks available through the website,” as part of a plan to distribute at-home testing to any American who requests, and the administration is standing up.

Centers for Disease Control reported as White House scrutinizes its mask policy considering Updated its guidance to recommend that everyone, not just healthcare workers, wear N95 or KN95 masks whenever possible.

Without a coordinated federal policy aimed at distributing such high-quality masks nationwide, many people would have difficulty following such guidance.Currently, N95 masks are hard to find in the U.S., especially in sea ??of ??fakes Sold by online retailers.

last month, as common dream report, a coalition of public health experts and advocates has launched a campaign urging a Biden administration “to provide every household in the United States with adequate and ongoing access to free rapid home testing and N95 quality N95 testing twice a month through May 2022. Facial mask”.

The alliance said the high-quality masks were “necessary to stop the spread of the virus”.