“Trust the science”, is what we were perpetually told during 2020 and for years to come (Hochman 1). We were told that science is always objective and fact-based and never lied and that it was always trustworthy and unbiased (1). What governments and pharmaceutical companies didn't tell you was that the people behind the science lied, and they lied a lot. Sars-Covid 2, or as it is most commonly known; Covid-19, is a virus that emerged from China in late December of 2019, that made its way around the world and to the United States in January of 2020, This virus would then spread and cause worldwide lockdowns and mass panic. From actions of world governments and pharmaceutical companies many questions and theories have risen as to the validity of the scientific evidence given to the masses. Did the government and pharmaceutical companies have the masses best interest at heart, and did they lie to us?

 

     To first understand the nature of this theory, one must first know one of the key people behind the so-called science of, social distancing, masking, and draconian lockdown measures that permeated our livelihood for almost three years. That person is Dr. Anthony Fauci. The National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases (NIAID) states that “Dr. Fauci served as NIAID Director from 1984 to 2022.  He oversaw an extensive research portfolio of basic and applied research to prevent, diagnose, and treat established infectious diseases such as HIV/AIDS, respiratory infections, diarrheal diseases, tuberculosis, and malaria as well as emerging diseases such as Ebola, Zika and COVID-19” (NIAID 1). 

From this brief biography some insight is gathered as to when this dishonest doctor first stepped foot into the public stage. Dr. Fauci served as the director of the NIAID, and what diseases and viruses he had direct oversight of. With a service history of almost four decades, one would be led to believe that Dr. Fauci had an impeccable reputation as a doctor, someone who had breakthrough revelations in vaccine production and treatments and cures for diseases and infections. However, that assumption would be wrong. According to Dr. Joseph Mercola “ Fauci has been wrong about everything,” (Wayback Machine 2). Through all those decades of doctoral work, he has yet to come out with vaccine or infectious disease treatment that would allow him to retire with a victory notch in his belt. He has also had a history of being incorrect about important matters relating to the diseases he is working on and what he communicates to the public. With a subpar track record and no crowning achievements, why would anyone trust him? This has led many to come to the consensus and belief that Dr. Anthony Fauci is an untrustworthy doctor. 

Let’s take one of his first big diseases he had oversight and command on that gave evidence to him being an untrustworthy doctor; HIV/AIDS. Of the many challenges Dr. Fauci took on, his first major one was the issue of HIV/AIDS. He mishandled this disease drastically by informing the public that it could be spread through means of close contact, or even being in close proximity to the infected person. This mishandling caused many HIV/AIDS patients to die and not receive care because of fears that people and workers in contact with them would become infected (Schorr 1). Given this colossal blunder on Dr. Fauci’s part it is very surprising that he managed to stay in a prominent position of power, and that he was able to keep any of his credibility after this mismanagement of the situation. This gives more credence to the statement that Dr. Anthony Fauci is an untrustworthy doctor who is not worthy of the public and governments trust. 

Another shining example one could point to is the most recent widespread and well known disease that caused a global pandemic and worldwide panic and shutdowns. That disease is Covid-19. This virus made its way to the global main stage in the beginning of 2020, quickly making headlines and causing mass panic over its potential for human destruction. At the forefront of the United States medical and advisory battle was Dr. Fauci, serving as the head of the medical community when it came to giving guidelines and telling the public what to do in terms of safety measures. One of these guidelines given very early into the pandemic was six feet of social distancing between people. This guideline was implemented across the entirety of the country and stayed in place for multiple years. With this safety measure, many lives and businesses were impacted greatly from it, since with six feet being needed in between customers, many shops and businesses were only allowed to have a very limited capacity of patrons inside their establishments. Now with information coming from Dr. Fauci in statements from testimony to the House Oversight and Accountability Committee he gave the explanation “You know, I don’t recall. It sort of just appeared. I don’t recall, like, a discussion of whether it should be 5 or 6 or whatever” (Russell 1). Further saying “There was no science behind,” the  six foot social distancing rule that state and local governments repeated for months and years (Russell). The six foot distance rule was a major hindrance on the public's lives that would stick around for many years. Come to find out from statements made by Dr. Anthony Fauci himself, that social distancing was not based on any science even though the public was told that it was. This further cements that Dr. Fauci as an dishonest and untrustworthy doctor to the public. 

 

     During the beginning of 2020 and for years to follow an infectious disease named Sars-Covid 2, or as it is most commonly referred to; Covid-19, Spread through the United States and the rest of the globe causing mass panic and terror as to the effects of this unknown virus that emerge from China in late December of 2019. One thing the masses were told from government officials and pharmaceutical companies was “Trust the science”(1). This statement was told to us perpetually during the months and years to follow the outbreak. With new evidence emerging as time passes by, it is found that the people behind the so-called science lied and deceived the public, in tandem with governments and pharmaceutical companies feeding us misinformation about safety measures and effective medicines. Let’s explore these compelling statements further. 

 

     One of the key cornerstones to the public health and safety guidelines at the time of Covid-19 outbreak and subsequent spread across the country and the globe, was the use of face masks to stop the spread of the disease through airborne and particulate form in the air. These so-called undeniable truths were forced onto the general population whether they liked it or not. In places such as schools, offices, and even in places such as the outdoors, masks were a required part of life in most states. The widespread use of wearing masks went on all throughout the years of 2021 all the way up until the present day, with some doctors even still suggesting masks be worn even in the year 2024, years after the Covid-19 virus first made its appearance. “ Jennifer Veltman, MD, chair of infectious diseases, outlines the times to wear a mask in 2024” (“When to Consider Mask-Wearing in 2024 | News” 1). This is an excerpt from an article talking about the times in 2024 that the public should start masking again to slow the spread of Covid-19. For years the government and public health officials have told us that masks were the most significant way the public could slow or even stop the spread of the novel Coronavirus. Little did the public really know that the information the government was feeding to them about the effectiveness and safety gotten from wearing masks was dead wrong. 

     Masks were hailed as something that was safe for all peoples to wear, from children to adolescents, all the way to pregnant mothers. Health officials didn't take into account that wearing a mask consistently for long periods of time over numerous days according to a new German study can cause a buildup of carbon dioxide in the mask that the users are breathing in instead of fresh oxygen that the body desperately needs to operate. Mask-wearers breathe in much larger amounts of air that should have been expelled from the body than those that do not wear masks. According to the German study “[A] significant rise in carbon dioxide occurring while wearing a mask is scientifically proven in many studies. Fresh air has around 0.04% CO2” (“The Harm Caused by Masks” 1). It is found that chronic exposure to a level of carbon monoxide of 0.3 percent or more is toxic, the question is then raised; how much carbon dioxide do people that wear masks breathe in and how toxic is it? The answer is both shocking and alarming considering how widespread the use of masks was and for how long we were made to wear them. The study answers this question by explaining “Masks bear a possible chronic exposure to low level carbon dioxide of 1.41 -- 3.2% CO2 of the inhaled air in reliable human experiments. In other words, while eight times the normal level of carbon dioxide is toxic, research suggests that mask-wearers (specifically those who wear masks for more than 5 minutes at a time) are breathing in 35 to 80 times normal levels” (1). These are very alarming findings with the forethought that the general public was told to wear these masks for very extended periods of time. All under the guise of the government and public health officials who didn’t take the time to consider the negative effects that these mask mandates would have on the public’s health and wellbeing. 

     Yet another claim of world governments and pharmaceutical companies was on how effective masks were for slowing and aiding to the stoppage of the spread of Covid-19. This spew of dogma was repeated to masses endlessly for months and years on end and anyone who dared to question the authority of these figures was ridiculed and called an anti masker even just for airing simple questions. With the passage of time new studies and pieces of evidence emerged to yet again prove the all knowing health officials wrong once again.  A study compiled together by Cochrane Library gives insight and new information into the effectiveness of masks stating “ We included 12 trials (10 cluster‐RCTs) comparing medical/surgical masks versus no masks to prevent the spread of viral respiratory illness (two trials with healthcare workers and 10 in the community). Wearing masks in the community probably makes little or no difference to the outcome of influenza‐like illness (ILI)/COVID‐19 like illness compared to not wearing masks (risk ratio (RR) 0.95, 95% confidence interval (CI) 0.84 to 1.09; 9 trials, 276,917 participants; moderate‐certainty evidence. Wearing masks in the community probably makes little or no difference to the outcome of laboratory‐confirmed influenza/SARS‐CoV‐2 compared to not wearing masks” (Cochrane Reviews 4). Yet again what the public was led to believe turned out to be another fallacy constructed by our once trustworthy health officials and government leaders. According to the studies conducted, the widespread use of masks have an abysmal effect on stopping people from contracting Covid-19. Just another lie on the pile of misinformation that government and public health officials have told the general public. 

     In conclusion, the global response to the Covid-19 pandemic put a spotlight on the significant shortcomings of governments, health officials, and pharmaceutical companies' communication and implementation of their public health measures. From extremely questionable social distancing guidelines to the widespread promotion of masks with very limited evidence of their effectiveness to their validity of working. These measures were enforced without any rigorous backing that the public was led to believe existed. The introduction to the information that prolonged use of masks caused harms that the public was not told about, proves that the government and health officials were dishonest in their approach to handling this virus, giving credence to the proverb that sometimes the cure is worse than the disease. 

 

 

 

Works Cited 

 

 Cochrane Reviews | Cochrane Library,                    www.cochranelibrary.com/cdsr/doi/10.1002/14651858.CD006207.pub6/full.  

 Hochman, Nate. “Trust the Science?” National Review, 29 Nov. 2021,    www.nationalreview.com/corner/trust-the-science/.    

NIAID. “Anthony S. Fauci, M.D. | NIH: National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases.” Www.niaid.nih.gov, 5 Jan. 2023, www.niaid.nih.gov/about/anthony-s-fauci-md-bio. 

Russell, Nicole. “COVID Guidelines Caused Millions to Suffer. Now Fauci Admits ‘There Was No Science behind It.’” USA TODAY, 5 June 2024, www.usatoday.com/story/opinion/columnist/2024/06/05/fauci-hearing-covid-social-distancing-wrong/73962967007/.    

Schorr, Isaac. “Video Resurfaces of Fauci Warning ‘household Contact’ with AIDS Patients Could Put Kids at Risk.” Yahoo! News, Yahoo!   

“The Harm Caused by Masks.” City Journal, www.city-journal.org/article/the-harm-caused-by-masks. 

“Wayback Machine.” Archive.org, 2023, web.archive.org/web/20230602221613/russellyanderson.com/Mercola/The_Fauci_Files.pdf.  

“When to Consider Mask-Wearing in 2024 | News.” News.llu.edu, 25 Jan. 2024, news.llu.edu/health-wellness/when-consider-mask-wearing-2024.