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A letter to the editor published in The Lancet in November 2021 about the unjustified stigmatisation of people without COVID-19 vaccination attracted international attention (top 5% of all articles). But it also led to unexpected reactions from citizens, doctors and scientists to the author: 88 emails, two rebuttals in The Lancet and an attempt of pre-emptive censorship by a university representative. The emails expressed gratitude for the letter and great concern about social coexistence after the pandemic, illustrating how not only courage but also humanity unfold in the face of an insecure and increasingly divided society. During a pandemic we are all ultimately part of the same human community, regardless of our vaccination status. With a foreword by Martin Kulldorff, former professor of medicine at Harvard Medical School, this is a timely document that not only enlightens, but also inspires reflection and calls for action.
About the author
Günter Kampf is a textbook author, an independent specialist in hygiene and environmental medicine in Hamburg, Germany, and an adjunct professor of hygiene and environmental medicine at the University of Greifswald, Germany. He has published more than 250 scientific papers in mostly international journals, 44 book chapters and fifteen textbooks. The main scientific topics are the various aspects of hand hygiene, surface disinfection, the development of resistance to biocidal active substances in disinfectants and preven-tive measures in the context of the COVID-19 pandemic.
