Malice might be in the censoring of the voices of doctors and scientists who were not on board with the official opinions. I know at least one Chief Health Officer in Australia did say that the vaxxs would prevent infection and my recollection is some very highly placed figures in the US and elsewhere were saying that as well. 

I don't know what the reasons were for the almost universal pushing of the vaxxs were given the evidence that they were not meeting their claims. My freedoms were curtailed for a period beyond what was occurring with the vaxxed. Friends and family were told to be scared of me. Politicians and public health officials got it wrong (for whatever reasons) on a scale that should have consequences. It's not as though the problems were unvoiced, just muted by the efforts of those same politicians and public health officials.