Lewis Falsely Claims that Experts are “All Over the Place” on Efficacy of Masks
Republican U.S. Senate candidate Jason Lewis continues to fuel misinformation and question medical experts’ advice amid the COVID-19 pandemic. Yesterday, Lewis called Minnesota’s new mask mandate “ill-advised.”
Lewis expressed his opposition toward masks in this video posted online, saying:
“As recently as May of this year, the New England Journal of Medicine questioned their [masks] efficacy outside of a health care setting. And of course, the authorities, the experts, have been all over the place. First you didn’t need them. Now you do. Now there seems to be this growing demand.”
The authors of the New England Journal of Medicine that Lewis references have already responded to false claims like these, saying that they support universal mask wearing:
“We understand that some people are citing our Perspective article (published on April 1 at NEJM.org) as support for discrediting widespread masking. In truth, the intent of our article was to push for more masking, not less.”
Lewis’ disregard and disdain for public health experts’ advice to help combat COVID-19 constitutes a serious threat and danger to Minnesotans’ well-being. As the state continues to see a rise in cases and the first infant death caused by COVID-19, it is clear that the virus is still a very real threat to Minnesotans and Americans. Lewis puts his rigid views before what is best for Minnesota, even in the midst of a global pandemic.
Since the onset of the pandemic, which has claimed over 140,000 American lives, Lewis has peddled various conspiracy theories, spread misinformation — most recently falsely claiming that young children cannot transmit the virus.