Two weeks ago, the Robert Koch Institute (RKI), Germany's CDC equivalent, was ordered by a court to release the internal protocols of its “Covid Crisis Team” meetings from January 2020 to April 2021. The aftermath of this release has been met with mixed reactions, with some media outlets dismissing it as a non-issue. However, upon closer examination of the protocols, troubling revelations have come to light, causing a scandal of transparency within the German government.
Regime media outlets such as Die Zeit, Der Spiegel, and tagesschau have been quick to downplay the significance of the protocols. Die Zeit goes as far as labeling it a “gift for conspiracy theorists,” while Der Spiegel acknowledges the excitement it has caused but claims there is little new information. These articles, however, lack direct citations from the documents themselves, raising questions about their credibility and the journalists' lack of curiosity when it comes to lockdowns and mass vaccination.
One individual who has faced significant backlash due to the release is Karl Lauterbach, Europe's Health Minister. Lauterbach initially claimed that the protocols were extensively redacted to protect employees from public backlash. He also blamed “foreign governments” for promoting “conspiracy theories” surrounding the protocols on social media. However, virologist Hendrik Streeck pointed out that entire pages related to vaccines were blacked out, leading to concerns about what the public was being kept in the dark about.
Walter Kubicki, an FDP politician, called for more transparency and demanded access to the unredacted documents. He also urged the release of the RKI's secret “Stop Covid” study, which Lauterbach claims shows the success of Germany's pandemic management. However, Lauterbach has refused to make the study available for public scrutiny. The Chancellor's office eventually stepped in, forcing Lauterbach to halt his damaging behavior and promise to release the study.
As German Twitter users continue to dissect the released protocols, more instances of political influence on the RKI's actions have come to light. For example, on May 6th, 2020, the Interior Ministry questioned why the RKI was publishing reproduction numbers with fictitious accuracy. The Bundeswehr Surgeon General revealed that this impression was created at the instruction of Health Minister Jens Spahn. Another revealing incident occurred on June 28th, 2020, when German case counts were effectively zero. Despite this, the RKI refused to revise its assessment of the Covid risk down from “high” due to the Health Ministry's direction.
The protocols themselves offer a glimpse into the daily discussions of the RKI crisis team. While often filled with mundane infection statistics and administrative matters, there are moments of clarity when members inadvertently shed light on the broader political landscape. These unguarded moments paint a damning picture of the decision-making process.
The question arises: where did the pressure to panic about Covid and impose lockdowns come from if not from the public health establishment? In Germany, it appears that the press and political elite were swept up by a cultural virus before The Science had a chance to catch up. The international epidemiological establishment had long advised against border closures during pandemics, yet Germany succumbed to the pressure. This disconnect resulted in contradictory and nonsensical messaging surrounding Covid, highlighting the failure of both the government and the media to grasp the situation.
The release of the RKI protocols has sparked a scandal of transparency in Germany. While some media outlets attempt to downplay its significance, closer examination reveals concerning instances of political influence and selective information sharing. As German Twitter users continue to investigate, it is becoming clear that the public health establishment's decision-making process during the pandemic was far from scientific and independent. The fallout from this scandal will undoubtedly shape the public's perception of government response to future crises, emphasizing the importance of transparency and accountability.
