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In testimony before the House Select Subcommittee on the Coronavirus Pandemic this week Dr. Anthony Fauci dazzled the committee members with his arrogance and dissimulation. In response to a question by committee chairman Rep. Brad Wenstrup (R-OH) about the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases (NIAID)--a government agency that Fauci directed from 1984 to 2022--issuing grants for "gain-of-function" (i.e., how to make viruses more deadly) research on COVID, Fauci replied "I signed off on every foreign and domestic NIAID grant without reviewing any of the proposals. So, I have no specific knowledge concerning what type of research was funded."...

The new year is kicking off with a spike in respiratory illnesses across the U.S., including COVID-19, flu and respiratory syncytial virus. Considering all the circulating illnesses right now, it might be time for masking to make a comeback, experts say. "We're certainly in the winter peak of respiratory viruses," Dr. Albert Ko, professor of epidemiology and medicine at the Yale School of Public Health, tells TODAY.com. A post-holiday COVID spike alongside upticks of the usual winter illnesses, like flu and RSV, make this surge "very much expected," he adds. Amid this rise in the spread of illnesses, mask mandates...

MADRID, Jan 8 (Reuters) - Spain's government proposed a nationwide mandate for people to wear masks in hospitals and health clinics on Monday, and Italy said respiratory illness infection rates had hit a record, as flu and COVID spread across Europe. The European Centre for Disease Prevention and Control recommended that people on the continent stay home if they feel sick, and consider wearing masks in crowds or healthcare settings, with flu spreading as it typically does this time of year but hitting some countries harder than others. It said Europeans should follow national guidelines on vaccinating vulnerable groups. Flu...

ST. LOUIS — City Hall ended a renewed mask mandate for city workers Friday afternoon, just hours after putting it into place. City spokesman Nick Dunne said in a press release that the health department now just "strongly recommends" employees mask up indoors, citing a recent rise in reports of respiratory illnesses in the region. The turnabout followed confusion about the numbers the health department cited to support the mandate, predictable outrage from conservative talk radio, and a lukewarm reception from employees at City Hall, some of whom noted that visitors weren’t required to mask up as well.

Rise In Flu Cases Sparks Call For Face Mask Recall Patient and doctor wearing face masks. Credit: Yuganov Konstantin/Shutterstock.com AS Spain wrestles with the resurgence of respiratory illnesses, doctors are requesting that face masks be mandatory in primary care. In light of the escalating flu cases, similar to pre-pandemic levels, the Spanish Society of Family and Community Medicine (semFYC) has urged the reinstatement of mandatory masks in Primary Care centres. In late December, Spain experienced a significant increase in respiratory illnesses, including flu, COVID-19, and bronchiolitis, impacting Primary Care and emergency hospital services. This surge in cases has led to...

A major Massachusetts healthcare system is kicking off the new year with mask mandates for some staffers in their facilities. As of January 2, 2024, healthcare staff that interacts directly with patients will now be required to mask up. According to an October 31 press release from Mass General Brigham, respiratory illness season officially starts when over 1.9 percent of patients “presenting to emergency departments or outpatient clinics have symptoms of respiratory illness.” However, when that percentage reaches 2.85 percent, certain mask mandates automatically go into place.

Los Angeles County has reinstated a mask mandate for all patients and staff at health care facilities heading into 2024, as a winter surge in coronavirus cases has reached key benchmarks. Local ABC affiliate KABC-7 reported Saturday: “Over the past week in Los Angeles County, there have been notable, yet not unexpected, increases in COVID-19 reported cases, hospitalizations and deaths,” the Los Angeles County Department of Public Health said in a statement. “While recent increases are significant, they remain considerably below last winter’s peak and common-sense protections are strongly recommended to help curb transmission and severe illness as the new...

Hospitals across the U.S. are reinstating COVID-19 mask mandates as the JN.1 variant becomes the dominant strain spreading throughout the country. Hospitals in California, Illinois, Massachusetts, New York and Washington D.C. have all brought back divisive rules meaning masks are mandatory for selected people in medical settings. The Centers for Disease Prevention and Control has recorded a 10.4 percent increase in COVID-19 hospitalizations across America in the week leading up to December 16. There has been an increase of 3.4 percent in deaths related to coronavirus in the same period. Newsweek has contacted the CDC for comment via email. Mask...

Hospitals in places across the United States have reimplemented mask mandates because of what officials say is an uptick in COVID-19 and other respiratory infections. For example, the NYC Health + Hospitals—officially the New York City Health and Hospitals Corporation that operates public hospitals and clinics in New York City—announced that mask mandates will be reimplemented at its hospitals. "Due to an uptick in respiratory illnesses like COVID-19, flu & RSV in our communities & our hospital, we must return to mandatory masking. Please wear a mask when you visit us!" the hospital operator wrote on X, formerly known as...

Washington Post crybaby and COVID advocate Taylor Lorenz is skipping her fourth Christmas because of "selfish people" who refuse to wear masks against a non-life threatening virus. Lorenz has labeled herself "disabled" due to an "illness" that puts her at a higher risk of contracting COVID. However, I think her "illness" is more along the lines of a radical Leftist disease that clouds her common sense abilities. She also claims she has "PTSD" from online "harassment." "Literally, what is the plan for high-risk/medically vulnerable and disabled people? Just let us die while the world marches on??" Lorenz wrote in an...

NEW YORK -- The scene: A crowded shopping center in the weeks before Christmas. Or a warehouse store. Or maybe a packed airport terminal or a commuter train station or another place where large groups gather. There are people — lots of people. But look around, and it's clear one thing is largely absent these days: face masks. Yes, there's the odd one here and there, but nothing like it was three years ago at the dawn of the COVID pandemic's first winter holidays — an American moment of contentiousness, accusation and scorn on both sides of the mask...

When the coronavirus pandemic took hold in an unprepared U.S., states scrambled for masks and other protective gear. Three years later, as the grips of the pandemic have loosened, many states are now trying to deal with an excess of protective gear, ditching their supplies in droves. With expiration dates passing and few requests to tap into its stockpile, Ohio auctioned off 393,000 gowns for just $2,451 and ended up throwing away another 7.2 million, along with expired masks, gloves and other materials. The now expiring supplies had cost about $29 million in federal money

Here’s a guide for everything you need to know about COVID-19 — from variant- and case-tracking to the most up-to-date public health recommendations. Variants What COVID variant is dominant right now? HV.1 now accounts for nearly a third of cases nationwide — more than any other variant in the U.S. A member of the Omicron family of COVID variants, HV.1 was first detected over the summer and appears to share many of the symptoms we’ve come to know from other variants, including fever, cough, stuffy or runny nose, sore throat and loss of taste or smell. EG.5, nicknamed Eris, has...

VIDEOWe now know that not only did masks FAIL to stop the spread of Covid but they also are harmful to those wearing them. So what was the REAL reason for the mask mandates? Control. The people on San Marcos were ordered to wear their underwear on the outside for the purpose of government control and most of the rest of the world was mandated to wear masks for the same reason. Control. Oh, and also for Virtue Signaling. We can't forget that.

PHILADELPHIA (TND) — The Philadelphia City Council passed a ban Thursday on so-called "sheisties" in certain public spaces. The council's ban prohibit the use of ski masks and balaclavas in day cares, schools, parks, recreation centers, public transit and city buildings. Violators face a $250 fine, and those wearing the masks while committing a crime will assume a possible $2,000 fine. We must send a message that masks are of no discernible public or private good when they just create fear and anxiety," Councilman Anthony Phillips stated, according to FOX 29. Exceptions for religious freedom and "First Amendment activities" are...

A discarded mask lay on a sidewalk in Orange, Calif., on June 19, 2020. (John Fredricks/The Epoch Times)People who wore protective masks were found to be more likely to contract COVID-19 infections than those who didn't, according to a recent Norwegian study.The peer-reviewed study, published in the journal Epidemiology and Infection on Nov. 13, analyzed mask use among 3,209 individuals from Norway. Researchers followed them for 17 days, and then asked the participants about their use of masks. The team found that there was a higher incidence of testing positive for COVID-19 among people who used masks more frequently.Among individuals...

The World Health Organization (WHO) is telling Chinese citizens to wear face masks, keep physical distance, and stay home amid an outbreak of a “mystery respiratory illness.” Media reports say hospitals in Beijing and Liaoning are overwhelmed with cases of “undiagnosed pneumonia” primarily affecting kids. The children are presenting symptoms of lung inflammation and high fever, but not the coughing associated with COVID-19, RSV or other illnesses. Chinese officials first announced the outbreak on November 13th, which they reportedly blamed on the absence of lockdown restrictions. The WHO has asked that Chinese people distance themselves from each other, stay home...

Claim: Oscar-winning actor Tom Hanks once said during a July 2020 interview, "If you can't wear a mask and wash your hands and social distance, I don't understand. I've got no respect for you man." Rating: In September 2023, users on X shared an old video and claimed that it showed Oscar-winning actor Tom Hanks saying he had "no respect" for people who wouldn't wear masks during the COVID-19 pandemic. The most popular post from Sept. 19 earned millions of impressions. The video upload in the post was attributed to a January 2023 post made by the account @healthbyjames, which...

HONG KONG — Hospitals in northern China appear to be “overwhelmed with sick children” as the country grapples with a surge in respiratory illnesses and clusters of pneumonia, prompting the World Health Organization to ask Beijing for more data.

The American population is looking more like Asians, with voluntary face masking as people go about their daily routines. Rates of COVID-19 are manageable, normal life has resumed and mandates are gone, with few exceptions at discrete businesses or schools. Yet masks have gained a foothold in American society, a remarkable change after face coverings sparked public spats and questions about cultural acceptance. “Masks are at least acceptable, even though they are not widely employed,” said William Schaffner, an infectious diseases specialist at Vanderbilt University. “At the moment, there’s a segment of the population that is very interested in health,...