Scientific discourse requires all parties to be informed, and dissenting opinions, even if they are in the minority, need to be heard.

In medicine, how can people make the right decision for themselves if they aren't given all of the relevant information?

According to the Department of Labor's Occupational Safety and Health Administration, transparency apparently is not important in either of these areas.

In fact, OSHA believes that transparency and telling the truth are a hindrance to the common good.

While the agency has issued guidance requiring employers to "record and report COVID-19 infections and deaths," it said it will not require those same employers to "record worker side effects from COVID-19 vaccination" through May 2022.

OSHA's reasoning? Reporting on vaccine side effects might discourage or disincentivize employers' efforts to vaccinate their workers.

"OSHA does not want to give any suggestion of discouraging workers from receiving COVID-19 vaccination or to disincentivize employers' vaccination efforts," the agency's website says on a 6,400-word page titled "Protecting Workers: Guidance on Mitigating and Preventing the Spread of COVID-19 in the Workplace."

"As a result, OSHA will not enforce 29 CFR part 1904's recording requirements to require any employers to record worker side effects from COVID-19 vaccination at least through May 2022," it says.

This is disturbing news, but not because the COVID-19 vaccines pose any sort of existential threat.

Evidence shows COVID-19 side effects to be rather minimal, even more so than the effects of the virus itself.