The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) announced Tuesday the wearing a mask protects you, not only those around you. The CDC pointed to numerous studies that have demonstrated the benefits of “universal masking policies.”

President Trump’s war on face masks took a huge hit after the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) announced a significant update to its face coverings guidance. This comes as the number of new coronavirus cases hit 146,000 cases yesterday, setting a new daily high for the first time in the last seven days. This brings the total number of reported infections to 10.5 million infections, while the total number of fatalities has no soared to 245,000.

Despite the overwhelming evidence that masks are the most effective tool available to the public to prevent coronavirus infections, Trump sycophants like Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis (R) continue to wage war against masks.  Dr. Anthony Fauci has been pleading with the president that wearing a mask is the most effective method of deterring the disease’s advancement next to a vaccine. DeSantis has often downplayed the severity of the pandemic and pushed to reopen businesses and schools in the state, even in the early weeks.

DeSantis’s new data analyst is an untrained antimask conspiracy blogger who will help monitor and analyze the state’s covid-19 data. Lamb is not a data scientist by trade or training. In his own words, he is “not an ‘expert.’” His public statements about the pandemic have frequently contradicted advice from public health officials, and he has dedicated much of his coronavirus commentary to undermining experts.

It’s unclear how the governor’s office came to its decision to hire Lamb. They may have spotted his work in a conservative blog that has promoted an unsubstantiated claim that Florida had overcounted covid-19 deaths, which has been previously cited by DeSantis’s spokespeople. The total number of reported coronavirus infections has reached 852,174, and the total number of fatalities has soared to 17,000. This is how the thinking process of the conservative leadership supporting President Trump works. Manufacture an absurd statement slanted to their liking and find someone off the street who will agree with that position and put them in the role of making ridiculous future policy to the appreciation of the administration. An ideal expert is created.

Meanwhile, Dr. Anthony Fauci, the nation’s top infectious-disease expert, told CNN yesterday that the average American could have access to a coronavirus vaccine by April. This means that by the time a vaccine is available to the public, the total number of infections in the United States could easily top 20 million, and the number of deaths could approach 1 million.

                     COVID-19 hospitalizations at all-time high