The architect of Obamacare, Dr. Ezekiel Emanuel, referring to the new COVID variant plaguing China, warned Americans that they should return to wearing “really high-quality masks.”
Emanuel spoke to MSNBC’s Andrea Mitchell about the new COVID variant, XBB. 1.5, on Monday during her show “Andrea Mitchell Reports.”
“It’s spreading very rapidly which means it can evade and outcompete the other subvariants,” Emmanuel said. “It seems to avoid the antibodies but also bind more tightly to cells and that gives it the competitive advantage it needs. And unfortunately the antibodies therefore we have from infections or vaccines don’t seem to work. And the monoclonal antibody Evusheld we have, that a lot of immune-compromised patients don’t use doesn’t seem to be working that well.”
Emmanuel predicted that the U.S. would see a surge in COVID cases going forward.
“So, is this typical, that the variants keep coming and as infections spread this virus finds new ways to conquer our best efforts?” Mitchell asked.
“Yes. We do see when the virus spreads to lots more people that you get more variants, because the more it reproduces the higher the chance of a mutation or a recombination event, and that’s actually what’s really concerning about China,” Emmanuel answered.
He also said that China would be hit hard because of their low immunity. “They will have a lot of deaths, unfortunately, because of the low immunity they have in the population, but also that with hundreds of millions of people getting infected, likely over the next few weeks, they’re gonna have a lot more variants, and we don’t have a good line of sight into those variants and the genome, and that is what’s worrisome to other countries about the China situation,” Emmanuel stated.
Mitchell asked what measures should be taken against China, mentioning a travel ban or negative test result.
“A travel ban and the negative test results, they’re just delaying tactics,” Emmanuel proclaimed. “They’re trying to get us information; they’re not gonna help. Individually, for your viewers, Andrea, the best thing they can do at the moment, and I know a lot of them are resistant, is masks. N-95, really high quality masks. You can’t control what’s out there in the airports or what’s on a train, or what’s gonna be in a shopping mall, but you can protect yourself with these very high quality masks, and that’s what I recommend. “
Dr. Zeke Emanuel: Covid vaccines don’t work against new variant, travel bans and testing are ”delaying tactics”; only thing that reliably works are “really high quality masks.” pic.twitter.com/54E5ilcBTH
— Tom Elliott (@tomselliott) January 2, 2023