The whole deal with stating the COVID vaccine was not a vaccine because it didn't prevent COVID was manufactured. I spent time working in vaccine research in the early 2000s and the concept of therapeutic vaccines for treatment of illnesses after they began had been established for decades. Unfortunately, while fruitful from a basic science vantage and understanding the immune system and how it interacts with cancer, most of our cancer vaccines have not had the effectiveness we'd like. Also - the initial COVID vaccine studies showed pretty solid prevention of COVID transmission, so it was not wrong to say that it could prevent COVID. However, subsequent studies showed a lesser effect on prevention of transmission, closer to 50% in keeping with other vaccines for respiratory pathogens (flu vaccine being a prime example). But... the effect on the severity of illness from an infection was very impressive. Massive reductions in severe illness and death. Estimates through 2025 suggest 2-3 million deaths averted and 17-22 million hospitalizations averted. I can tell you on the ground that by mid-2021 my patients had stopped dying if vaccinated. Was it perfect? No... but it was a solid result indeed.
Infants aged 6-24 months were more prone to developing severe infections, thus the impetus to have an option for them. There has never been an approval or significant trial looking at the vaccination of newborns (technical definition there is the first 30 days of life). My personal belief was that healthy people under the age of 65 could decide on their own to get vaccinated, with the realization that vaccination essentially wins out over not vaccination at every age and health status. My objection was to all of the misinformation that was spread during that time. I gave my teenagers the option for vaccination or not and they all took it. My son told me that if he could prevent one person from being infected and dying due to taking it, that he felt it was his civic duty. I mean heck, if you are unhealthy or over 65, that is your prerogative to get vaccinated, but I wanted people to be aware of the risk to benefit ration.
I mean, if you disagree with Fauci, that is reasonable. Like most people who achieve his level of success, he is arrogant and self assured and has fought many political battles. But you have to deal with facts and the reality of what was happening on the ground. The vast majority of the hatred directed towards him is pretty unreasonable. As for shady stuff, well... Look at who he worked for! But honestly, so much of the shady stuff is conspiracy theory without anything substantial presented as evidence.
