A leading lung specialist has cautioned against transforming the discussion of potential mistakes in the COVID-19 pandemic into a “political tribunal without a gain in understanding.”Dr. Cihan Celik, a pulmonologist at the Darmstadt Clinic, told the Frankfurter Allgemeine Sonntagszeitung that it is striking that the focus during the “Corona review”is mainly on perceived unnecessary restrictions, while the lack of adequate measures during critical periods, such as before the second wave, is hardly addressed because this aspect lacks political momentum in the current situation. A thorough review, however, should consider both aspects.
Celik criticizes the tendency to mix scientific and political levels in hindsight. While one can debate political strategies, the scientific knowledge base is limited in this context. “If one says that less restrictive strategies for the population could have been pursued, that’s legitimate”the senior physician said. “But then one must also say what the price would have been. More opening and testing in an immunologically naive population would have cost more human lives.”
Moreover, Celik, who was awarded the Federal Cross of Merit for his services in the pandemic, reminded that all responsible parties initially had to learn from the new disease. Even doctors had to act and learn simultaneously, such as in the best form of ventilation for COVID patients. Any mistakes should not be judged with the benefit of hindsight. “For the retrospective review of political weighing and decisions, the knowledge of the time should be the factual basis”Celik emphasized.