(CNN) Members of the White House coronavirus task force are praising a move by Twitter removing a misleading tweet from top Trump adviser Dr. Scott Atlas that told Americans masks don't work. The tweet's removal was a "relief" among some task force members, Dr. Deborah Birx told friends over the weekend, according to a source with knowledge of the conversation. Atlas, a neuroradiologist and President Donald Trump's hand-picked coronavirus adviser, had undermined the importance of face masks with misinformation in a Saturday Twitter post. NO," Atlas wrote, followed by a series of misrepresentations about the science behind the effectiveness of masks in combating the pandemic. The tweet and its subsequent removal comes as coronavirus cases spike across the US and other members of the task force have taken to the airwaves to urge Americans to heed basic mitigation strategies, including mask usage and social distancing.

Source: CNN October 19, 2020 14:15 UTC