As a consequence of the Corona evaluation report, FDP Vice Wolfgang Kubicki has called for the dismissal of RKI President Lothar Wieler. It is “inevitable” that Federal Health Minister Karl Lauterbach (SPD) will dismiss the President of the Robert Koch Institute “as responsible for this misery,” Kubicki told the “Welt am Sonntag” according to the advance notice. At the RKI, a “restart in terms of personnel” is necessary.
The data chaos denounced by the FDP is now officially named with the report. Members of the Expert Committee had complained about the difficult basic requirements of their work. A central problem was that it had not been possible to establish sufficient data collection in Germany since the beginning of the pandemic.
The FDP now sees the report “confirming the criticism that has been expressed since the beginning of the pandemic,” said Kubicki. The measures were largely disproportionate and undemocratic and “too often lacked any scientific basis,” said the deputy party leader. The FDP parliamentary group will now quickly discuss what this “shattering report” means for the further discussion on infection law.
The FDP politician Frank Schäffler also called for Wieler’s resignation. The report must lead to “consequences in terms of personnel at the head of the RKI,” he told the newspaper, adding: “Mr. Wieler is obviously unable to improve the situation.” The report reveals blatant deficiencies in the “data situation and the scientific monitoring of the pandemic”. According to Schäffler, it was a scandal that “sometimes senseless restrictions on fundamental rights were decided on this “inadequate basis”.
Lauterbach said on Friday in Berlin that criticism of the lack of data availability was correct. But he looks ahead and not backwards. We are working on the better data we need. At the same time, the minister rejected criticism of Wieler. He always did a good job and enjoys his “complete trust”.
Kubicki also received objection from his Green colleague Katrin Göring-Eckardt. She sent an obviously older comment of hers again on Twitter, with the addition “Applicable then and applies today:
The expert commission to evaluate the corona measures presented its report on Friday. According to this, the corona measures that have been introduced so far have had an effect.
According to the Bonn virologist Hendrik Streeck, the effects and side effects of individual previous protective measures can hardly be assessed on their own. Bundles of measures were taken at the same time that cannot be separated, said Streeck on Friday in Berlin. He spoke as a member of the expert commission. The panel therefore does not present a table of what is right and wrong.
In general, one could say: “Every measure has its time,” said Streeck. So it makes sense, especially at the beginning, to reduce the spread in the population, he said with a view to closures and lockdown measures. The longer this takes, the smaller the effects. With access rules only for those who have been vaccinated, recovered or tested (3G/2G), the effects of virus variants and vaccines are dependent.
In general, protection against infection fizzles out very quickly, he made clear. Therefore, one should work with daily updated tests.
Streeck emphasized: “Masks work. You have to say that clearly.” But it is important that people also want to wear masks. The report states that an ill-fitting and not tight-fitting mask has “reduced to no effect”.
Streeck also criticized the insufficient data basis. “We have poor data,” said virologist Hendrik Streeck at the joint press conference to present the evaluation report. The economist Christoph Schmidt warned that if politicians want an evaluation at a later date, they must set criteria for it from the start and organize the collection of the relevant data.
