Jerome Adams, MD, the former U.S. surgeon general who was under fire for an early tweet claiming masks weren't effective at preventing the spread of COVID-19, now advises the public to have "masking compassion," NPR reported April 28.
During the early days of the pandemic, Dr. Adams tweeted "Seriously people — STOP BUYING MASKS! They are NOT effective in preventing general public from catching #Coronavirus". He told NPR though the tweet was indicative of the recommendations the CDC and World Health Organization were giving at the time, and that he changed his stance as the science became clearer.
"People are very uncomfortable watching the sausage actually get made, particularly when it has immediate implications on their day-to-day lives," he said.
He also called for the public to think beyond themselves and consider continuing to wear masks out of compassion for others and their situations that go unknown to us.
"We need to make sure everyone has an equitable chance to protect themselves, and recognize that in situations where they may not have that opportunity, they're relying on us to be compassionate and to protect them," he told NPR.