US surgeon-general defends new mask rules July 19 2021 12:32 AM RELATED STORIES US Surgeon-General Dr Vivek Murthy: The (social media) platforms have to recognise that they played a major role in the increase in speed and scale with which misinformation is spreading. Text Size: Reuters/AFP/Washington US Surgeon-General Vivek Murthy stood by federal guidance that those fully vaccinated against coronavirus (Covid-19) no longer needed to wear masks, while blaming social media companies for fuelling vaccine misinformation. He told CNN’s State of the Union that allowing vaccinated individuals to forgo masks also gives communities the flexibility to revert to mask mandates based on new infections and vaccination rates, as Los Angeles has done.