In an extraordinary scene in a recent session of the German Bundestag, German Minister of Health Karl Lauterbach simply denied outright that there is DNA contamination in COVID-19 vaccines, insisting that “the vaccines are manufactured with RNA, not with DNA”.
But, as is well known, the mRNA which serves as the active drug substance in the most-widely-used COVID-19 vaccine, that of the German company BioNTech and its American partner Pfizer, is manufactured precisely from plasmid DNA. The extensive DNA contamination which has been discovered in batches of the BioNTech-Pfizer vaccine by numerous researchers, including in Germany, consists precisely of residual DNA from the mRNA manufacturing process.
Asked by the member of the Bundestag Martin Sichert what the German Government planned to do about DNA contamination in Covid vaccines, Lauterbach replied in full as follows:
Right honourable member, I cannot answer your question. It is unscientific. You refer to contamination in the DNA of the vaccines. The vaccines are manufactured with RNA, not with DNA.
In a tweet of the exchange, Sichert describes Lauterbach as “dangerously clueless about his favourite topic, the novel mRNA vaccines”.
But, not to be outdone by Lauterbach, in the same session German Minister of Defence Boris Pistorius displayed similar denial of reality and devotion to mRNA technology – which, perhaps not coincidentally, appears to have been made a cornerstone of German industrial policy.
Thus Pistorius was repeatedly questioned by Sichert and his colleague Kay-Uwe Ziegler about the justification for the German army’s COVID-19 vaccine mandate in light of widespread acknowledgement that the vaccine does not prevent viral transmission. After Sichert wondered, finally, whether the Minister knew anything at all about the vaccine which he was requiring soldiers to take, a visibly irritated Pistorius put an end to the discussion as follows:
Right honourable member, to make this clear again: the COVID-19 vaccine is the most effective protection against serious illness and death and, at the same time, an important contribution to reducing the risk of infection and transmission. You can dispute this till kingdom come. That changes nothing. Thank you.
The Minister’s outburst was greeted with enthusiastic applause from other members of the Bundestag (see here from 58:37).
Translations from German by the author.
Robert Kogon is the pen name of a widely-published journalist covering European affairs. Subscribe to his Substack and follow him on X.
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