Germany's head of disease control suffer threats

Lothar Wieler, the head of Robert Koch Institute (RKI), Germany's official disease control body, has received a death threats related to the RKI's key role in containing the coronavirus pandemic. The Berlin professor told the Funke Media Group in remarks for publication on Friday he wish the situation were more pleasant, but still getting threats.

Wieler said the threats, including murder threats, "increase massively. The threats increase whenever the public schools closure is linked to him or there are allegations that he back lockdowns over freedom. Notwithstanding the risk does not keep him away from my duties, since his a civil servant of the state, he pledged to serve it responsibly.

Wieler was speaking following controversy over the RKI vaccination figures. The RKI recently reported that the actual number of vaccinated people was higher than the official statistics and that led to a heated public discussion. Formerly a professor of microbiology at Berlin's Free University, Wieler has headed the RKI since 2015.