‘Masks increase virus risk’: Ohio Republican misleadingly cites surgeon general to discourage face coverings

An Ohio Republican misleadingly cited the surgeon general to discourage his supporters from wearing face masks to prevent the spread of the coronavirus.

In a Facebook post spotted by Ohio Capital Journal reporter Tyler Buchanan, State Rep. Nino Vitale (R-Urbana) claimed surgeon general Jerome Adams had cautioned that face coverings increased the risk from viral infection.

"Wearing one can "actually increase your risk" of getting the disease, says American Anesthesiologist and a vice admiral in the U.S. Public Health Service," Vitale posted.

"There was a study in 2015 looking at medical students. And medical students wearing surgical masks touch their faces on average 23 times. We know a major way that you can get respiratory diseases like coronavirus is by touching a surface and then touching your face."

"Masks also can give the wearer a 'false sense of security,'" he added.

In fact, the surgeon general has said that masks pose a risk if worn improperly, which he said many non-medical personnel do.

"You can increase your risk of getting it by wearing a mask if you are not a health care provider," Adams said in early March.

The Centers for Disease Control has recommended cloth masks since early April in public settings where other social distancing measures are difficult to maintain, such as grocery stores and pharmacies.

Vitale, who claims facial coverings are an affront to God, has regularly urged Ohioans to defy recommendations by the state's health director Dr. Amy Acton.

The GOP-led Ohio House has passed a bill that would strip Acton of her advisory authority.