As the world transitions to a postpandemic phase, societies are looking to evaluate their past responses to COVID-19 and prepare for future crises. However, a recently published series of studies1 sheds light on a concerning issue; sustained societal polarisation between the vaccinated and unvaccinated is distorting the accuracy of people's recall of the pandemic, fuelling societal conflict and complicating preparation for future pandemics. Here, we summarise the key findings and elaborate on the implications for clinical practice.