Rand Paul vs. Fauci: You Want To Stop Vaccine Hesitancy? Stop Telling Us To Wear The Mask Forever, It's Theater

Sen. Rand Paul (R-KY) and Dr. Anthony Fauci engage in a heated debate over masks at a Senate HELP (Health, Education, Labor and Pensions) Committee hearing on Thursday. Paul hammered Fauci for evidence and studies that show that people who have been inoculated from COVID-19 need to wear a mask.

Fauci said that a good argument for wearing masks is to prevent the spread of virus variants. Paul then hammered Fauci for proof that there is significant reinfections or hospitalizations from variants after receiving the vaccine.

"What studies show significant reinfection, hospitalization, and death after either natural infection or the vaccine? It doesn't exist. There is no evidence that there is significant reinfections after the vaccine. In fact, I don't think we have a hospitalization in the United States after the two-week period after the second vaccination," Paul said.


Paul told Fauci the argument to continue to wear masks to protect from variants is making policy based on conjecture.

"What I am saying is they have immunity and everyone agrees they have immunity. What studies do you have that people who have had the infection, who have had the infection are spreading the infection? If we are not spreading the infection, isn't it just theater? If you've had the vaccine and you are wearing two masks, isn't that theater?" Paul asked Fauci.

"You want people to wear masks for another couple of years," Paul said to Fauci. "You've been vaccinated and you parade around in two masks for show. You can't get it again. There is virtually a zero percent chance that you're going to get it and yet you're telling people who have had the vaccine, who have immunity -- you're defying everything that we know about immunity by telling people to wear masks who have been vaccinated. Instead, you should be saying that there is no science saying we are going to have a problem for the large number of people who have been vaccinated."

"You want to get rid of vaccine hesitancy?" Paul asked. "Tell people to quit wearing their masks after they get the vaccine. You want people to get the vaccine? Give them a reward instead of telling them that the nanny-state is going to be there for three more years and you have to wear a mask forever."

"People don't want to hear it and there is no science behind it," Paul added.