Public health officials don't feel safe

A group demonstrators hold signs as they protest against mandated vaccines outside of the Michigan State Capitol on August 6, 2021 in Lansing, Michigan. There were 44 counties in Michigan at high or substantial levels of community coronavirus transmission, according to the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Preventions case and test positivity criteria as of August 5, 2021. Emily Elconin/Getty Images

Conspiracy theories around COVID-19 and an ever-widening political divide led to a terrifying uptick in harassment against America's public health workers, new research finds.

To quantify the gravity of harassment public health figures faced during the pandemic, researchers looked at data from a national survey of local health departments — conducted by the National Association of County and City Health Officials (NACCHO) — and searched media reports of harassment and attacks.