White House Chief Medical Adviser Anthony Fauci said in a recent statement that the executive order of Texas Governor Greg Abbott regarding the vaccine mandate ban is unfortunate. He noted that vaccine mandates would help end the COVID-19 pandemic in the United States.
Fauci gave his comments during an interview on Fox News Sunday. Fauci tried to avoid the question but gave an opinion regarding the executive order from a public health standpoint, The Hill reported.
Fauci Thinks Executive Order Is Unfortunate
When he commented, Fauci told Fox News Sunday host Chris Wallace that he felt the executive order was unfortunate because people know how effective vaccines are in preventing COVID-19. He added that the protection is not only for an individual but also for diminishing the dynamics of the infection in society. Fauci continued to say that the data supporting this statement is very clear.
The Hill quoted Fauci telling Wallace, “Unfortunately, I can understand, perhaps, what the governor is trying to do, but I think when you’re in a public health crisis, sometimes unusual situations require unusual actions and in this case, it’s things like mandating be they masks or vaccinations, that are very important.” Fauci also said that vaccine mandates are needed in a crisis that has already killed hundreds of thousands of people. Further, Fauci noted that the data shows that vaccinated people are less likely to die or get hospitalized if they contract the virus.
Executive Order Says No Entity Can Compel Vaccines
The executive order of Abbott was signed last week. In the previous orders of Abbott, he only prohibited local officials from implementing vaccine mandates. However, the new executive order emphasized that no entity in Texas can compel Texans, whether as an employee or a consumer, to get vaccinated. Anyone who violates the executive order will face fines.
Abbott said that he issued the executive order to ensure Texans had the freedom to go anywhere and not lose their jobs. His executive order came after President Joe Biden gave sweeping vaccine mandates. One pertains to businesses with 100 or more employees ordered to mandate their workers to get vaccinated or tested every week.
