Germany’s top health agency, the Robert Koch Institute (RKI), knew in late 2020 that lockdowns could inflict more harm than the COVID-19 virus itself and that the efficacy of mask mandates lacked scientific evidence. The information was withheld until court documents stemming from a two-year legal battle between RKI and German magazine Multipolar were made public.
The documents reveal that RKI researchers explicitly warned their analysis revealed lockdowns in Africa showed “an expected rise in child mortality.” A December 2020 report from the institute cautioned that “The consequences of the lockdowns are in parts more severe than the virus itself,” while an October 2020 document suggested that there was ‘no evidence’ to support that masks could prevent the spread of COVID-19.
RKI also expressed doubts in January 2021 about the viability of the AstraZeneca Covid vaccine, which was later discontinued after reports of blood clots surfaced.
Lockdowns were one of the most controversial measures taken during the COVID-19 pandemic. A UK study published last year revealed that lockdowns stunted the emotional and social development of 50 percent of children. Another study from researchers at John Hopkins University and Sweden’s Lund University released last year found lockdowns were “a global policy failure of gigantic proportions.”
show less