Anna Moneymaker/Getty Images July 29, 2021 8:30 PM ET Font Size: The U.S. government’s inconsistent public messaging on the coronavirus came to a crescendo this week as the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) abruptly reversed course on the use of masks by vaccinated people. The sudden backtracking follows a pattern of misleading and incoherent government health guidance that has led to a general erosion of trust in the CDC. Trust is, of course, paramount in a free country when trying to help the public make decisions about health matters. Our government does not seem to understand this simple concept.