Just imagine how many people would still be alive today if that large orange man had come out on Day 1 wearing a mask and asking people to be responsible. But once that ideological line was drawn, there became a certain percentage of the US population that would follow it (literally) to death. It's inconceivable how much of this was avoidable in retrospect.
And he would have won re-election in a landslide.
I just said "I've convinced a half dozen people to get vaccinated". General availability for the vaccine in the US has only been around for about two months - less in some cases. That wouldn't have been possible if what you're saying is true. It really doesn't take that much effort for most people.
And I'm really not a fan of the "de-programming" mindset. To treat someone as though their thoughts and concerns were programmed by someone else is to disregard their reasoning and free will. Maybe they're missing information. Maybe they're misunderstanding something. Maybe they have been fed misinformation. In most of the cases I've been successful with, it's simply that nobody has taken time to address their concerns. Most of these people don't need "re-programming". They're worried and they need someone to listen to their concerns and reassure them with calm reasoning.
Were the statements that masks didn't help against sars-cov-2 inaccurate in retrospect? Yes. Was the assumption back in the time that a) masks were a rare good, desperately needed in ERs and b) that it was possible that covid19 was transmitted by smear/touch valid? Also yes.
Was it justified to stop issuing AstraZeneca vaccines after reports of blood clots? Yes. Was it justified to resume vaccinating using this vaccine after two weeks of investigations? Also yes.
Justified, maybe. The best policy decision in the face of widespread hostility/skepticism? Probably not.
The problem is: de-programming all the propaganda takes an immense amount of time - months, sometimes years of effort. This is a waste of time that could have been avoided from the start if governments worldwide had done their job and cracked down on conspiracy bullshit and Russian propaganda warfare before thousands of people stormed the Congress and half a million people in the US died from Covid.
Democracy, similar to a human body, will only survive if it fights against threats. Democracy is nothing one should ever taken for granted, just look at Hungary how quick a democracy can fall under the attack of "populists" and "illiberal democrats" (this is actually how Fidesz see themselves).