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Who is Dr Ashwin Vasan? Outrage at new NYC health commissioner's 'asinine' TODDLER mask mandate

'Woke' commissioner orders all children five and under must wear masks indefinitely, 'I'm seeing red' responds furious internet

For many, the Covid-19 pandemic is waning, with restrictions being lifted. However, New York City decided to do a major U-turn on March 18, thanks to its new Health Commissioner Dr Ashwin Vasan. Dr Vasan announced that the city would now mandate masks for children five and under since they are not yet eligible for vaccinations. The news has caused fury online, as New Yorkers took to social media to slam Vasan.

Many states (including Democrat-led ones) are slowly lifting their mask mandates, with a significant portion of Americans now vaccinated. However, mask mandates continue to be imposed on airlines, despite widespread protests and violent outbursts. The furious debate was perhaps best encapsulated by New York's Mayor Eric Adams, who ended up chastising a dad for protesting Vasan's decision while he was celebrating St Patrick's Day.  

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"Talk to me, don't yell. You send the wrong message to your daughter," Adams told the furious dad, and added, "I got this. They'll be unmasked." That appears to be in direct contradiction of Vasan's order, which he said was "indefinite at this point". 

Who is Dr Ashwin Vasan?

A physician and epidemiologist, Vasan was tapped to be Adam's health czar and is NYC's 44th Health Commissioner, taking over from Dr. Dave Chokshi in March 2022. Before that, he spent over 20 years in the medical profession, serving in a variety of roles not just in the US, but also globally. He is an alumnus of the Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health, University of Michigan Medical School, and the London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine. 

Vasan spent a year with the World Health Organization, working on its 3by5 initiative to cut down rates of AIDS. He's also worked with organizations in Tanzania, Boston, Rwanda, Uganda, and Lesotho, predominantly in the areas of global health, primary care, and HIV. Between 2016 and 2019, he also worked as the Executive Director, Health Access Equity Unit at NYC's Department of Health. 

Alongside his role as Health Commissioner, Vasan also teaches at Columbia University and practices medicine at the New York-Presbyterian Hospital. He is a father to three, including one who is around three years old. Vasan acknowledged his youngest child in his comments, saying, "I would love nothing more than to send my son to daycare without a mask. But as a scientist, and as a doctor, and an epidemiologist, I want to keep him safe because he's not eligible for a vaccine."

'This is just asinine'

Angry New Yorkers were extremely frustrated the city was expanding, rather than rescinding its mask mandate. "I’m seeing red," one Twitter user replied to the news. Another responded, "Follow Dr. Ashwin Vasan everywhere. Let him be seen doing as much as taking out his garbage without a mask on." A third tweeted, "This is just asinine. Kids in the rest of NYS are unmasked. Including toddlers. All is well. Stop this nonsense."

"Don't they ever hire intelligent people for this job?" one user trolled. Another said, "Dr. Ashwin Vasan just became public enemy number 1. Will go down as the worst power tripping, wrong side of history public health official in history. Looks like the last 2 years have taught us nothing. Prepared to get pounced in Nov."