"Open debate" also assumes there are two sides of every issue. This isn't always the case. To give an example, back when I was in college my school newspaper decided to run an ad from a Holocaust denier that said that the Holocaust never happened. I confronted the editor asking why he chose to publish that. He answered that he wanted to show both sides of the issue. Except there weren't "two sides" here. The Holocaust provably happened. Saying it didn't isn't "another side", it's straight out false.
With COVID-19, we know many things due to science. Yes, early on information was sketchy and changing. Maybe some people could have been forgiven then for thinking A when the science had moved on to B. Now, though, we know much more about COVID-19. It is a deadly disease - having killed over 4 million people worldwide. There are also people who survive, but with severe medical issues (heart and lung damage). If you can avoid COVID-19 then it's much better than getting it and rolling the dice on whether you'll be fine, survive with heart/lung damage, or die. We also know that the vaccines work and are safe. Although each new variant seems to reduce their effectiveness, they are better than nothing and we might be able to improve the effectiveness with boosters. (This is still being hashed out.)
In any case, the pandemic would be a lot less severe if everyone who could be vaccinated was vaccinated. Anyone saying "the vaccines have tracking microchips in them," "the vaccine turns you magnetic," "people who get the vaccine die in 2 months," or any of the dozens of other conspiracy theories out there aren't "the other side of the story." They're spreading false information and actually helping the virus to spread.