Since you're an expert on covid that knew way back then how it was transmitted, do you have a better suggestion for what they should have done? Or do you just want to bitch about the scientists because "yeah! Scientists suck!"
Most people would say they should tell the truth as best as they understand it at the time. Like I don't think the philosophy of lying to the little people from their own good actually has that many fans, ESPECIALLY AMONG the little people! And especially if the lying is by those those supposed to represent the search for truth etc.. Way back in the days of W such beliefs of lying to the people for their own good, tended to be attributed to neocons and Leo Strauss (whether or not that was fair to Leo Strauss I wouldn't know). It was Hillary Clinton's public and private positions (though that was never particularly altruistic at all, it was about serving big donors). The thing is Fauci has straight out said it was a lie to preserve masks for medical people, but who knows if it wasn't just a misconception, the liar lying about lying because at least they don't have to admit being wrong, only he claims he lied is all.