Tsiodras decries political exploitation of science after study row

Professor Sotiris Tsiodras, epidemiologist and scientific advisor to the government, released a statement on Thursday decrying what he called out as science being exploited as a vehicle for political confrontation. The statement comes after a study co-authored with Theodoros Lytras, Professor of Public Health at the European University of Cyprus, on how the high numbers of patients in hospitals, as well as regional disparities in the quality of their care, have negatively affected the mortality rate of coronavirus patients sparked a political debate.

“Confronting the pandemic requires a spirit of unity and solidarity as well as constant vigilance. It is very saddening for a scientist, as well as any citizen, when older scientific analysis is used as a tool for political confrontations,” said Tsiodras in his statement and added that “this specific study confirms similar observations made during previous pandemics, but also during this pandemic internationally.”

Tsiodras also reiterated that Greeks have to get vaccinated, stressing that over 15,000 lives in Greece had been saved by the use of the vaccines. However, he also warned that people should remain alert as Omicron variant cases will start to proliferate.