Thomas Mertens, former head of the Standing Vaccine Commission (Stiko), criticizes the discussion on the post-mortem examination of the Corona pandemic. “Many who say ‘post-mortem examination’ just want to pick a bone with someone” he told the weekly newspaper “Die Zeit”.
He finds that completely uninteresting. “It can’t be about putting individuals on the pillory and saying: You’re to blame.” There was always pressure from the political side, Mertens said. “Politicians of course thought: We need to somehow get Stiko under our control, so that they say what we think is right.”
The pressure from Federal Health Minister Karl Lauterbach (SPD) was especially strong, Mertens said: “At times, the minister even had the idea of getting rid of this Mertens, perhaps precisely because the constant criticism showed so little effect.