The spread of disinformation like this is completely in line with the science-denying mindset of U.S. Secretary of Health and Human Services Robert F. Kennedy Jr.
If the vaccine is the nearly infallible tool to protect from complications tied to COVID-19, and if one really wants to call for a government mandate, then why not require the vaccine rather than the mask?
Independently of what happens in the U.S., we have to maintain the use of masks and strengthen the public health and safety measures that we know work.
While most nations of the world are challenged by the COVID-19 pandemic, not a single country counts as many infections and deaths as the United States of America.