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This is not all "science's" fault. This whole thing has been political from the beginning, both in that those in power during the initial outbreak tried to downplay the dangers, and those opposing them tried to overcompensate to distance themselves.

Besides, it is perfectly scientific to change your beliefs and guidance based on new evidence, especially when it comes to novel diseases and a generation-defining pandemic.

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It's not the fault of "science" in the abstract or even the fault of most scientists (who're sincere and open to debate and disagreement, and generally acknowledge the limits of their epistemic certainty).

But there is clearly a faction of media and political institutions which wield "Science (TM)" as a cudgel to stifle public debate / opinions - and they aren't even doing it out of bad faith / political opportunism - they're doing it because they believe it's important to have the general public universally believe in established science "facts".

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