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I saw a tweet related to this the other day but I can't find it so here we go. The strange relationship between science, media, and the general public is causing people a huge amount of coronavirus-related stress, and understanding it can help!
I am a research chemist. My work is not even vaguely related to vaccines or biopharma, but like vaccine researchers, my job is to develop new products. One of the most important things to understand in this line of work is that it moves SLOWLY and in very strange directions.
That's not always because of the usual bureaucratic corporate bullshit--most often, it's just the nature of the work.
When you are researching a new product, it is not uncommon to spend months working on it, only to finally conclude that this product won't work. This leads to constantly evolving knowledge and methodology. This is where the media comes in.
For an (insanely) high-priority project like coronavirus research, EVERYBODY is watching. The media grabs onto and reports every bit of information they can get ahold of. Later, when scientists "backtrack" and publish seemingly contradictory information, people get frustrated.
Remember when the CDC said that the risk of getting coronavirus from touching your groceries/mail was actually low, despite having earlier indicated that you should be disinfecting these items? That was them acting from a new, more thorough understanding of this particular virus.
Whereas earlier, they were acting from an understanding that generally, it is a safe assumption that most diseases can spread by touch. They weren't so much wrong--they had new information, so they changed their recommendations. This mindset is incredibly important in science!
It's easy to get frustrated. But please have trust in the scientific community. You are probably used to seeing only the results of scientific research. The final results are clean and easy to digest. The process is messy, complicated, and frustrating.
Final message here--wear a damn mask. What's the worst that could happen?
