CDC director widely mocked after claiming science 'evolved' on COVID vaccines to allow new mask guidance

Rochelle Walensky, director of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, defended her agency Sunday after finally recommending last week that fully vaccinated Americans can return to normal life.

What is the background?

After the CDC unveiled the new face mask guidance last week, Republicans immediately accused the Biden administration of a politically motivated decision, pointing to numerous crises facing President Joe Biden.

"While the new mask guidance is encouraging, the CDC and my Far Radical Left colleagues only chose to do this to distract from the consequences of catastrophic policy decisions that have been heard around the world," Rep. Andy Biggs, chairman of the House Freedom Caucus, said.

"Inflation is rising, the Middle East is in shambles, the working class can't fill up their gas tanks, our border is being overrun and the Biden Administration's leadership is nowhere to be found," he added.

What did Walensky say?

Speaking on ABC's "This Week," Walensky denied her agency was motivated by politics when issuing their newest guidance.

Instead, Walensky claimed the science had "evolved" over the last two weeks revealing the efficacy of COVID-19 vaccines.

"We now have science that has really just evolved even in the last two weeks that demonstrates that these vaccines are safe, they are effective, they are working in the population, just as they did in the clinical trials, that they are working against our variants that we have here circulating in the United States, and that, if you were to develop an infection, while— even if you got vaccinated, that you can't transmit that infection to other people," Walensky said.

In fact, Walensky claimed the "science was really evolving as late as last Thursday."

What was the reaction?

Walensky was widely mocked after the interview. As critics pointed out, COVID vaccines have been proving their efficacy for more than five months now.

In fact, countries that have a high percentage of vaccinated people — Israel, the United States, Great Britain, for example — have experienced significant decreases in COVID cases and deaths.

Meanwhile, states that reopened and dropped mask mandates have not seen spikes in cases or deaths.

• "Wow the science evolved in sync with several growing Biden WH scandals. Just incredible. Science truly is a wonder," one person pointed out.
• "What science has evolved in the last 2 weeks? Were they asleep for months before that? I get not wanting to admit you ignored the science for a long time for political reasons, but don't just lie to people like this," another person reacted.
• "'The science' has not 'evolved.' Nobody is dumb enough to believe this. Not even the triple-maskers who hang on Fauci's every word believe it. The apparatus made you obey. Now the apparatus demands you forget that they made you obey for no good reason," radio host Buck Sexton said.
• "Same lady said six weeks ago that she felt 'impending doom' as she forecasted a massive wave of COVID infections and deaths. She was wrong. And now she dances," Bryan Dean Wright pointed out.
• "This is a lie. The vaccines never would have been given the green light for use if they were not proven in clinical trials to be 'safe' and 'effective' and that happened 6 months ago," another person said.
• "Science is now code word for bad polling data," one person mocked.
• "I'd really like to know what evidence came in the last two weeks that said something different from the evidence of the last four months," another persons said.

Despite the "evolved" science, the CDC said over the weekend students should continue to wear face masks in schools.