The traffic light coalition is arguing about the future of RKI boss Lothar Wieler. After the designated FDP General Secretary Bijan Djir-Sarai sharply criticized the President of the Robert Koch Institute and indicated a replacement, Wieler received support from the ranks of the Greens on Saturday. “Lothar Wieler has done an incredible amount during the pandemic. His expertise, professionalism, and steadfastness in the face of attacks from enemies of science deserve respect,” wrote Bundestag Vice President Katrin Göring-Eckardt on Twitter.
The Green health expert Janosch Dahmen made a similar statement. He tweeted: “His expertise is invaluable. Without him we would be in a much worse position today”, he wrote on Twitter. Similar words came from Christian Karagiannidis, President of the German Society for Internal Intensive Care Medicine and Emergency Medicine, who emphasized that Wieler’s expertise is “invaluable”.
Chancellor Olaf Scholz also supported the virologists. When asked whether Wieler still enjoyed the chancellor’s trust, a government spokeswoman said “yes” on Saturday.
Djir-Sarai had told the “Spiegel” Wieler could “no longer be sure of the trust of the FDP”. The trigger was the annoyance at the reduction in the convalescent status. The RKI has the period “quasi incidentally with the stroke of a pen and without any announcement”., criticized the FDP politician. This is not an isolated case, but a “recent misconduct”. The surprising shortening of the recovered status from six to three months meant that people without a full vaccination status were suddenly unable to go to restaurants, bars or gyms. Health Minister Karl Lauterbach (SPD) had spoken of communication problems with the RKI.