[robhunter]

As I mentioned in another comment, the President of the United States literally said that if you take the vaccine, you won't get Covid, verbatim.

To your broader point - I think skepticism about the efficacy of the Covid vaccine is a very different (and rapidly evolving) thing than traditional anti-vaxx rhetoric.

If you don't think public trust has declined - why did fewer than 50% of people who got 2 doses go on to get a booster? What changed for them?

[etchalon]

Very few people get the Flu vaccine every year.

People are lazy.

[mc32]

People don't get them due to efficacy. People know the makers plan in advance and try to predict the strain that will hit and their prognostication is understandably sub-par.

[wizofaus]

The pros still vastly outweigh the cons. I hadn't been getting one largely out of laziness and slight needle phobia in previous years. I changed only once it became a requirement for visiting aged care homes, and even though they don't enforce it, have continued getting my annual jabs. Flu vaccines do actually generally provide quite good protection against infection of the most common strains.

[jameshart]

The previous president suggested some sort of experimental bleach-based antiviral treatment regime was under development. And you want to ding this one for trying to persuade people to take a vaccine?

[namecheapTA]

Trump didn't suggest it. He mentioned that it was being looked at as one of the possible options.

And I think OP is implying that a totally incorrect statement erodes trust, even if you were just trying to persuade people to take the vaccine.

[Ekaros]

Maybe these types of lies spread by the fascist totalitarian anti-freedom vaccine promoting crowd is part of the problem.

[jameshart]

‘promoting general public health through sensible preventive medical programs’ is not generally listed among the top evils committed by totalitarian regimes.