Statement by the GfV on public statements made in the Enquete Commission 8/1 of the Brandenburg State Parliament (November 7, 2025)

Summary:

The German Society for Virology (GfV) published a statement on December 18, 2025, addressing scientifically inaccurate claims made during a hearing of the Brandenburg State Parliament’s Inquiry Commission 8/1 on November 7, 2025. While the GfV supports the parliamentary review of the COVID-19 pandemic, it corrects misleading representations in five key areas: epidemiology and case definitions, testing strategies and incidence rates, comparisons between COVID-19 and influenza, vaccinations and immunological principles, and herd immunity and virus variants. The scientific society emphasizes that Germany maintained reliable disease surveillance throughout the pandemic and that COVID-19 vaccines demonstrably reduced transmission, severe disease progression, and mortality. The GfV warns that scientifically unfounded statements complicate objective review and contribute to public uncertainty