The Fog of Covid: What Were We Supposed to Believe?

<p>Masks. Lockdowns. Changing guidance. Breakthrough infections. Social-media warnings. Conflicting experts.</p><p>During COVID, the rules seemed to change almost as quickly as the virus itself.</p><p>Was that simply science evolving in real time or did poor communication, censorship, fear, and misinformation make it impossible to know who was telling the truth?</p><p>In Part Three of our COVID series, we examine the confusion that surrounded the pandemic and the information war that followed.</p><p><strong>When the guidance keeps changing, how do you know what to believe?</strong></p><p>Sources </p><ul><li><strong>Pew Research Center, February 9, 2022 — “Increasing Public Criticism, Confusion Over COVID-19 Response in U.S.”</strong> This is the source for the 60% confusion figure, 57% wondering whether information was being withheld, 56% losing confidence, and 56% saying changing recommendations made sense because science evolves. <a href="https://www.pewresearch.org/science/2022/02/09/increasing-public-criticism-confusion-over-covid-19-response-in-u-s/?utm_source=chatgpt.com">Pew Research Center</a></li><li><strong>CDC, April 3, 2020 — Recommendation Regarding Cloth Face Coverings.</strong> CDC specifically cited emerging evidence of asymptomatic and presymptomatic transmission when recommending public face coverings. <a href="https://stacks.cdc.gov/view/cdc/86440?utm_source=chatgpt.com">CDC Stacks</a></li><li><strong>CDC Science Brief on Surface Transmission.</strong> CDC later concluded that surface transmission was possible but generally presented a low risk in community environments compared with respiratory routes. <a href="https://archive.cdc.gov/www_cdc_gov/coronavirus/2019-ncov/more/science-and-research/surface-transmission.html?utm_source=chatgpt.com">CDC Archive</a></li><li><strong>CDC/MMWR, Barnstable County Delta outbreak, July 2021.</strong> Documents breakthrough infections and the evidence that contributed to renewed indoor masking recommendations for vaccinated people in high-transmission areas. <a href="https://archive.cdc.gov/www_cdc_gov/media/releases/2021/s0730-mmwr-covid-19.html?utm_source=chatgpt.com">CDC Archive</a></li><li><strong>CDC/MMWR, April 2022 — Vaccination and hospitalization during Omicron.</strong> Provides evidence that vaccination and boosting continued to reduce COVID-associated hospitalization risk even when reinfections and breakthrough infections were occurring. <a href="https://www.cdc.gov/mmwr/volumes/71/wr/mm71