U.S. officials were "lying" about them. He questioned why the CDC was advising vaccinated people to continue mask-wearing and distancing in April 2021, saying, "maybe [the vaccine] doesn't work, and they're simply not telling you that". Fact checks called Carlson's argument misleading, because COVID-19 vaccines are highly effective in protecting against COVID-19 infections and severe symptoms, and universal masking helps prevent unvaccinated people from spreading the virus. Fauci called Carlson's remarks a "crazy conspiracy theory". Later Carlson falsely called Fauci "the guy who created Covid". In another segment, Carlson misrepresented federal data to claim that in the previous five months around 30 people per day in the U.S. died after receiving a COVID-19 vaccine. Carlson's argument was called misleading because the federal database he cited, VAERS, consists of unverified public reports, some of which have been false; post-vaccine deaths can be from unrelated causes; and the CDC had found no connection between COVID-19 vaccinations and deaths based on VAERS. In July 2021, Carlson said plans by the government to provide door-to-door vaccinations were "the greatest scandal in my lifetime, by far" and falsely described them as an attempt to "force people to take medicine they don't want or need". He also likened vaccine passports to segregationist Jim Crow laws. He claimed that a vaccine mandate in the U.S. Armed Forces was designed to oust "the sincere Christians in the ranks, the free thinkers, the men with high testosterone levels, and anyone else who doesn't love Joe Biden". On a day when two Fox News hosts, Steve Doocy and Sean Hannity, urged viewers to get vaccinated to protect against the surging Delta variant of the coronavirus, Carlson said, "There are a lot of people giving you medical advice on television and you should ignore them." Carlson refused to say whether he has been vaccinated, responding to a reporter, "When was the last time you had sex with your wife and in what position? We can trade intimate details." More than 90% of Fox Corporation's full-time employees had been fully vaccinated by September 2021. In May 2022, Carlson described himself as against "the vax". Carlson mentioned the anti-parasite medication ivermectin as a possible COVID-19 treatment, though the FDA warned against its use. Carlson called people wearing masks outdoors "zealots and neurotics", saying that children wearing masks was child abuse and that, "Your response when you see children wearing masks as they play