Last week, Dr. Anthony Fauci, head of the U.S. National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases, and U.S. Sen. Rand Paul (R, KY) renewed their long-running argument over government policy and recommendations concerning reducing the transmission of the COVID-19 virus. This time, their fight centered on what should be done in cases where people had either received the full course of COVID-19 vaccine or else had contracted and recovered from the illness. In both cases, it seems unlikely such people could transmit the disease to others, but that is not known for certain. Fauci believes such people should continue to wear protective facemasks to reduce their risk of spreading the disease to others. Paul believes otherwise, and even criticized Fauci, who has been vaccinated, for engaging in “theater” by continuing to mask. The argument between the two physicians (Paul is an ophthalmologist) and its retelling in the press and on social media are just the latest rounds of the ongoing fight over “following the science.” That line is shorthand for a bundle of value judgments, including:
- Avoiding the negative health effects of COVID-19 outweigh all other considerations, including personal freedom, the economy, and the mental health effects of isolation.
- The consensus recommendations of medical experts outweigh all others’ recommendations.
- Former president Donald Trump’s pandemic policies were bad. (President Joe Biden, who understands this political reality, has repeatedly said his administration will “follow the science.”)
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