President Joe Biden clashed with Fox News White House correspondent Peter Doocy about vaccines Thursday, telling him that mask mandates are necessary because more people were getting sick.
Doocy pointed out that Biden told people once they were vaccinated they didn’t have to wear a mask. The Center for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) made a similar promise but walked it back this week when they changed their guidance to recommend masks in some indoor settings, regardless of vaccination status. Masks are also recommended in all K – 12 schools even if students are vaccinated.
DOOCY: “You said if you are fully vaccinated, you no longer need to wear a mask.”
BIDEN: “That was true at the time… What happened was the new variant came along. They didn’t get vaccinated… More people were getting sick.” pic.twitter.com/3cdhGwC0lY
— Daily Caller (@DailyCaller) July 29, 2021
“You said if you are fully vaccinated, you no longer need to wear a mask,” Doocy told the president. “In May, you made it sound like getting vaccinated was a ticket to losing the mask forever.” (RELATED: ‘Why Do Democrats Distrust The Science?’: Trump Attacks Biden Admin For Return To Mask Mandates)
Biden justified the new mask guidance by saying that the new delta variant came along and that more people are getting sick.
“That was true at the time… getting vaccinated made a difference,” Biden said. “What happened was the new variant came along. They didn’t get vaccinated, it spread more rapidly. More people were getting sick.”
The Biden administration also said Thursday that they were open to more lockdowns if scientists recommended it.