“You know, my contact in the White House was Dr. Birx and Dr. Fauci. They were coordinated very closely. The message was,” We have to take this matter seriously, we have to wear a mask, “Dewane told CNN reporter Jake Taber on “State of the Union” when asked about the role played by Dr. Scott Atlas, controversial member of the task force, in the epidemic.
“They gave very good guidance, you know, I’ve been following these two plus a lot of infectious disease experts and other people that we can talk to,” said the governor.
Atlas, a neuroradiologist with no training in infectious diseases, has misrepresented the effectiveness of masks and discouraged testing for people without symptoms, although most medical experts, including Birks and Fauci, believe they are a critical component of stopping Virus spread.
Atlas – known for his unpopular opinions about the coronavirus, including the potential benefits of herd immunity – made questionable claims in a 27-minute interview with RT, the propaganda network that played a key role in the Kremlin’s efforts to interfere in the 2016 U.S. presidential election, and were subsequently forced into To officially register with the Ministry of Justice as an agent of the Russian government.
“He’s a smart guy who talks about things that I think he doesn’t have any real insight, knowledge or experience in. He keeps talking about things that when you dissect and analyze, make no sense,” Fauci told the newspaper.