Former U.S. Surgeon General Jerome Adams calls for masking 'compassion'

Before there were mask requirements or recommendations or candle tests or homemade mask drives, in the very early days of the pandemic, the U.S. Surgeon General Jerome Adams published what would become a notorious tweet: "Seriously people — STOP BUYING MASKS! They are NOT effective in preventing general public from catching #Coronavirus, but if health care providers can't get them to care for sick patients, it puts them and our communities at risk!"

As the supply increased and science emerged showing masks were effective in stopping the spread of the virus, Adams encouraged the use of masks.

These days, no longer in his federal government role, Adams is still tweeting about masks in the post-transportation mandate world. He's sharing his anger at how a Delta pilot suggested he take his mask off to breathe free, and describing the challenges of a rideshare driver with a double-lung transplant whose customers no longer needed to mask in his car.

NPR called up Adams to get his thoughts about masking in this moment of the pandemic: how he stands by his original tweet on masks, being in the