SLS Calls Gov't Proxy Kotlar's Statements Misleading and Unscientific (2)

Bratislava, October 7 (TASR) - The Slovak Doctors' Association (SLS) called statements made by Government Proxy for Investigation into COVID-19 Pandemic Management Peter Kotlar misleading and scientifically unsound and urged relevant state institutions to adopt an expertise-informed stance on his statements without delay, TASR learnt on Monday. "SLS is joining the growing tide of calls in the scientific community that urge the relevant state institutions, particularly the Health Ministry, to adopt an expertise-informed stance on these indefensible statements without delay," declared SLS President Jan Breza. The government has already received the report on the pandemic from Proxy Kotlar, and it is supposed to be dealt with at a regular government session. Last week, Kotlar told a news conference that the pandemic was "an act of bioterrorism" and a "fabricated operation codenamed the COVID-19 pandemic". According to him, the aim of the operation was to "jeopardise human health" and "test the naivete of the global population to follow orders subliminally". He advocated an immediate halt to the use of mRNA vaccines until they are proven to be effective and safe, while calling for updated WHO health regulations to be rejected. The opposition has accused Kotlar of disseminating hoaxes and disinformation. Scientists from the Institute of Virology of the Slovak Academy of Sciences' (SAV) Biomedical Centre, the Faculty of Medicine of Bratislava-based Comenius University and the University Hospital in Bratislava are also concerned about his claims. President Peter Pellegrini said that he would be very surprised if the government accepted Kotlar's report. The criticism of Kotlar's statements by professional, expert, health and scientific organisations was joined also by the Association of Outpatient Care Providers (ZAP), which underlined that these unsubstantiated claims, based on nothing but Kotlar's subjective feelings, have nothing to do with real medicine. "It's really sad that despite the repeated repudiation of his publicly presented opinions by the entire health sector, this pseudo-expert on the pandemic enjoys such a great popularity among our political elites," declared ZAP President Jaroslava Orosova. In this context, Orosova asked whether we wish to put our trust in modern science and medicine or let virtually anyone comment on matters that call for expertise. "If we prefer the latter, who will bear responsibility for the potential consequences?" she asked. mf/mcs