I think that's really important. For me, trust in science and public health experts begins with really good health communication. I've been in close touch with the WHO about health communication, because we all know about their advice on masks, asymptomatic transmission and things like that. We're in an evolving science. This is a virus we've rarely confronted. It's really pernicious. It's hard to fully understand.
This is how good public health communication should be: We should, honestly, trust the public. We should be honest with them, tell them what we know and be clear and consistent on that without a political undermining of the science that we know. Tell them what we don't know, because there's a lot that we still don't quite understand. Then tell them what we're doing to find out what we don't know. If every politician and every scientist did that, we would be in such great shape.
You know, the White House at one point in this pandemic asked the CDC, the NIH and others to clear public health messaging with the White House. I would say it should be the exact opposite: Politicians should clear what they say with the scientists. Science is so important, and it's so easy to do.
The media have conspiracy theories. On social media, on one day something is said and the next day something different is said, but we have to rely on science and the objectives of science. Otherwise, we're lost.