Two renowned virologists have accused politicians of failing to act during the coronavirus pandemic. Alexander Kekulè, Director of the Institute of Medical Microbiology at the University of Halle-Wittenberg, did not spare any criticism of his own profession during his questioning in the Corona Investigation Committee of the Saxon State Parliament. He advocated admitting guilt as a first step towards pacification. For many politicians and scientists, however, this seems to be difficult.
Communication played into the hands of vaccination opponents
According to Kekulé, there was no longer an argument for compulsory vaccination when the delta variant of the virus emerged. The promise of herd immunity through vaccination was unrealistic and the German government's vaccination strategy had not worked.
Vaccinated people had also contributed significantly to the incidence of infection. The population had the feeling that moderation had been lost. The Federal Ministry of Health's communication had played into the hands of vaccination opponents.
Federal government only relied on a few advisors
According to Kekulé, it was a mistake that the federal government only relied on a few advisors. There had been "unjustifiable misjudgements" from the scientific community. The point was not to make accusations, but to improve the scientific process with a view to a future pandemic.
Technical expertise subordinated to political will
Virologist Detlev Krüger called for greater independence of the Robert Koch Institute (RKI). Professional expertise had been subordinated to the political will of the Federal Ministry of Health. Politicians should always be informed about a broad spectrum of opinions and be advised by sensibly composed committees, but not one-sidedly. At the time, he had also noticed a one-sidedness in the information policy. It was wrong to portray unvaccinated people as "bad people": "You can't treat each other like that in a democratic society."
