PS Urges Voice Ministers to Back SAV Vaccine Analysis and Dismiss Kotlar

Bratislava, 3 December (TASR) – Ministers from Voice-SD should clearly stand behind scientists and the vaccine analysis conducted by the Slovak Academy of Sciences (SAV), and uphold their pledge to dismiss Peter Kotlar as the Government Proxy for Investigating COVID-19 Pandemic Management if Kotlar fails to perform his duties, House Health Committee vice-chair Oskar Dvorak (PS) declared on Thursday. Dvorak criticised the government for ignoring Kotlar's attacks on scientists, his questioning of the SAV analysis, as well as the shortage of influenza and whooping cough vaccines in Slovakia. "In the middle of the viral season, people have nothing to get vaccinated with because flu vaccines are missing. An outbreak of hepatitis is still ongoing in southern Slovakia. Mothers cannot obtain whooping cough vaccines and three children have died needlessly. The government and the Health Minister flagrantly ignore this. Just as they ignore the attacks on scientists, the repeated undermining of the SAV analysis and the insane conspiracy theories of Peter Kotlar," Dvorak said in a statement. According to the legislator, Kotlar has demonstrably failed to fulfil his role as Gov't Proxy. "And today he has explicitly stated that he does not even plan to submit the report on pandemic management. So I ask: how many more press conferences must this man hold, how much fear and doubt must he sow in society before [Health] Minister [Kamil] Sasko and [Education] Minister Tomas Drucker stand by their words and dismiss him?" he asked. Earlier in the day, Kotlar said that he was postponing the submission of the pandemic review report and also declared that he would not present it to anyone. "It would be very simple to submit the report, have it go completely ignored and say "Kotlar's task is done". But I am not naive," the proxy said. He claimed that the SAV Biomedical Research Centre had "besmirched" science with its analysis. In August, the SAV reported that its analysis showed COVID-19 vaccines contained only negligible amounts of DNA molecules, far below approved limits. The risks highlighted by Kotlar were not confirmed. "The scientific paper concerning the analysis of mRNA vaccines received five positive, independent peer reviews. It was accepted for publication on 29 October 2025 and will soon be published in 'npj Vaccines' with the original results and conclusions," SAV spokesperson Monika Tinakova said in response to Kotlar's remarks. mf