During a recent briefing, Trump said, “Most people could just make something out of a certain material.” The next day, CDC published a new cloth face-covering recommendation. Soon after, the Surgeon General released a DIY video showing how to make one with a piece of fabric and two rubber bands. Based on the new guidelines, “A cloth face covering is not intended to protect the wearer, but it may prevent the spread of the virus from the wearer to others.” This suggestion seems logical. But where’s the science to back this? Dr. Adams “unpacked” the reasoning behind this latest pivot, explaining that the initial recommendations to avoid wearing masks were based on “the best evidence available at the time.” But “we now know that a significant portion of people infected with coronavirus lack symptoms.” Huh? We’ve known for months that 80% of infected people have little or no symptoms. This is suspect. Coronavirus policy should be informed by science. If officials begin to distort or repurpose science to align with the unrealistic beliefs of unqualified leaders, we risk descending into dangerous territory. Confusing the message is one thing. Propaganda is an entirely different matter.

LaMar Hasbrouck, MD, MPH