According to leaked documents from Germany's public health agency, the Robert Koch Institute (RKI), the country's response to the COVID-19 pandemic was driven by political objectives rather than scientific evidence.
The documents, known as the “RKI Files,” were leaked by a former employee of the RKI and published in their entirety by investigative journalist Aya Velázquez.
The files reveal that German regulators sought to skip Phase 3 trials of the Pfizer-BioNTech COVID-19 vaccine and go straight into broad application, despite concerns from scientists about its effectiveness.
The documents also show evidence of policymakers targeting and nudging children, as well as knowledge that the vaccines were ineffective and led to severe adverse events.
Despite this knowledge, the government pursued measures rewarding the vaccinated and punishing the unvaccinated.
The RKI Files also reveal that policymakers and scientists sought to ignore evidence of a flattening curve early in the pandemic and the ineffectiveness of masks and mass testing.
The documents have raised questions about the transparency and integrity of Germany's pandemic response, with critics arguing that politicians, rather than health authorities, made the decisions.
