Drosten sobered: "I've completely given up humor on Twitter" - then he adds a joke

Created: 12/25/2021, 2:08 pm

From: Julia Volkenand

Christian Drosten has given up the humor on Twitter.

© Rolf Vennenbernd / dpa

The head of virology at the Charité, Christian Drosten, spoke in an interview about conspiracy theories on the Internet and how he deals with them.

He found clear words.

Munich - Christian Drosten has long been considered the voice of reason in Germany.

In the Corona crisis, he tirelessly explained his field to those who had nothing else to do with virology.

In an interview with the

, however, he admitted that this is not always easy.

Because there are countless conspiracy theories on the Internet;

Corona deniers and vaccination refusers shake hands.

Theories are exchanged and disseminated, especially on social media such as Twitter.

Drosten himself largely stays out of social networks, and to this day only knows Twitter, he reports.

“There the aggression is everywhere.

I've given myself up to humor on Twitter, and funny things keep coming up, I could be the solo entertainer, "he jokes and adds:" But that leads to even more aggressiveness.

This is how I post things that I think are informative.

Honestly, I don't look at the answers anymore, even if many of them are positive. "

Drosten on social media: "I've gotten rid of humor"

And then there are the death threats he's getting.

However, that is not the worst.

“What really hurts me personally are the subtle attacks on scientific integrity,” he regrets.

He was accused of saying that “our paper on the PCR tests was examined far too quickly and that it was not reliable.

You can do a good job very quickly. "

Virologist Drosten on attacks in the network

Findings from the past are also repeatedly called into question, reports the virologist.

"Or this murmur from non-specialist, well-known doctors that I would have been wrong about the swine flu.

But with what, they don't say.

Something like that can still be found everywhere: Drosten, who was wrong about the swine flu. ”He also firmly rejected the allegations spread on Twitter that he was making money from the pandemic, the vaccines and the tests.

“This is all wrong.

I don't make a penny from it.

Nothing, ”emphasizes Drosten.

He also commented

now clear to his colleague Streeck.

)