Former HHS official welcomes “data-driven” rest of CDC masks administration

Former health and social worker Dr. Mario Ramirez on Tuesday welcomed President Joe Biden’s support for the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention’s masking updates.

“I think the president made the right point today, namely that today’s guidance is not about politics, but rather a data-driven recommendation based on how these vaccines behave in the wild,” said Ramirez.

According to the CDC, fully vaccinated people can exercise outdoors and attend small gatherings without wearing a face mask. Biden said the new recommendations underscore the strides the US has made in fighting Covid.

Ramirez, a former HHS Pandemic and Emerging Threat Coordinator for the Office of Global Affairs, told CNBC’s “The News with Shepard Smith” that while the US is headed in the right direction on vaccinations, officials have an “ongoing messaging campaign “to convince skeptical Americans to vaccinate.

In the US, 232 million shots of vaccine have been put into guns, according to CDC data, with 43% of the total population receiving at least one dose and nearly 20% of the country being fully vaccinated.

Dr. Peter Hotez told The News with Shepard Smith on Friday that daylight saving time in the US could return to a pre-Covid-19 normal if 75% to 80% of the US population are vaccinated.

Ramirez said improving vaccine convenience will be another helpful step in getting more Americans vaccinated.

“One of the things we’re looking forward to this fall is whether vaccine makers can actually pool a flu and a coronavirus vaccine together. If we can, it will go a long way toward improving vaccine uptake,” he said Ramirez.