Prominent forensic medicine professor Klaus Püschel has vast experience in autopsying individuals who have died with the Chinese coronavirus in Hamburg, Germany. During an appearance German television, the professor stunned the audience by claiming that the hysteria over the coronavirus is “completely exaggerated,” as all fatalities he examined had serious previous illnesses which would have soon resulted in death with or without the virus. Püschel stated that there is no “killer virus.”
Since the pandemic began, the head of forensic medicine at the University Medical Center Hamburg-Eppendorf and his team have been autopsying the people who died in Hamburg in connection with the coronavirus. According to Püschel, all of the deceased had at least one previous illness. “[E]ven if this sounds harsh,” Püschel said, “they would all have died in the course of this year.” About 80 percent of the more than 140 people examined suffered from cardiovascular diseases. The average age of the dead is 80 years.
Püschel slammed German Chancellor Angela Merkel’s irresponsible and alarmist propaganda towards the coronavirus:
“I think it’s really completely inappropriate when a president tells his people that we are at war, or when the German chancellor compares the situation with the last world war.”
“No killer virus”
Healthy people should not be afraid of infection: “The fear that this is a killer virus and that many will die from it is completely exaggerated,” said Püschel. “We have to make it clear that we don’t want to be in a glass case. We can’t protect ourselves from everything. And this virus is a comparatively low risk.” The virus is also by no means a death sentence for the elderly and sick. “Most will survive the disease there,” said Püschel.
“This virus affects our lives in a completely exaggerated way. This is out of proportion to the risk posed by the virus,” says the renowned medical examiner. “I am convinced that corona mortality will not even make itself felt as a peak in annual mortality.” There is no reason for fear of death in connection with the spread of the disease in the Hamburg region.
Püschel advocates opening the daycare centers
Püschel sees no particular dangers for most people with the novel corona virus: “Especially children, adolescents, the working population will normally survive this disease without damage.”
That is why Püschel also pleads for the opening of daycare centers and schools:
“The general experience is that the children do not get particularly sick, the adolescents do not get particularly sick. There is not even any indication that they are special spreaders.” The population had to live with the virus: “We have to make friends with it in a way, deal with it, like with the flu and with other infections.”
The doctor underlined the importance of determining whether patients died of the virus rather than with the virus. Autopsies that were carried out abroad paint a relatively clear picture.
Dr Püschel has addressed the lack of transparency when it comes to including fatalities in the virus toll:
“Insufficient amounts of information about exceptional cases are for example made public. Some patients who passed away may be classified as coronavirus deaths even though they may have, in reality, died from an unrelated illness.
As the doctor explained, many patients that succumbed to the illness were very old, smokers, obese, or had preexisting conditions such as diabetes. Lifestyle, age, and other illnesses are therefore closely associated with higher risks, he concluded. By examining other organs, autopsies can play a key role in gaining a better understanding of the virus’s mechanisms.
