NRW health minister embarrassed himself with Omikron statement: the ministry is rowing back

Created: 12/29/2021, 11:44 AM

From: Tobias Utz

Karl-Josef Laumann, CDU politician and Minister of Health of North Rhine-Westphalia.

(Archive photo) © Marcel Kusch / AFP

The health minister of North Rhine-Westphalia makes a statement about the Omikron variant for ridicule and malice.

But there are also dissenting voices.

Now his ministry is reacting.

Update from Tuesday, December 29th, 2021, 9.55 a.m.:

After the North Rhine-Westphalian Minister of Health Karl-Josef Laumann caused a stir on Monday with statements about the Omikron variant (see initial report), the responsible ministry in North Rhine-Westphalia has now published a clarification. A statement on Twitter said that Laumann was “naturally” aware that the coronavirus was mainly transmitted via aerosols.

Laumann had referred to a report from the Cologne health department in the WDR's “Current Hour”.

The statement said: "In today's interview he (Laumann, editor's note) had on the one hand simply the content of a report from the city of Cologne" to the Ministry of Labor, Health and Social Affairs of the State of North Rhine- Westphalia "reproduced".

According to the statement, the report from Cologne said: “The spread behavior observed with the Omikron variant is more similar to that of airborne infections (e.g. measles).

This means that the spread is no longer tied to just droplets. "

Omikron: NRW health minister embarrassed himself with corona statement

First report from Monday, December 28th, 2021, 9:30 a.m .:

Düsseldorf - Karl-Josef Laumann, Minister of Health of North Rhine-Westphalia, caused a stir with statements about the spread of the corona * of the Omikron variant *.

The 64-year-old spoke in the WDR format “Current Hour” about the mutant and referred to an assessment of the Cologne health department about the current situation: “They say very clearly: The new thing about this Omikron variant is that it does not get through Droplets, but rather that they are also transmitted through the air in a similar way to measles. "

On Twitter, numerous users were amused, but also shocked by the statement made by Karl-Josef Laumann.

"By which intellectually disadvantaged people are we actually governed in North Rhine-Westphalia," wrote one user.

NRW Minister of Health Laumann causes a stir with Omikron statement

In fact, Laumann's assessment of the Omikron variant is anything but new: As early as 2020, scientists reported that Sars-CoV-2 spreads primarily through the air we breathe, through so-called aerosols.

This also applies to the omicron variant of the coronavirus, which is considered more infectious compared to other variants.

Karl-Josef Laumann, Minister of Health of North Rhine-Westphalia (NRW).

© Johannes Eisele / AFP

“Aerosols” are mixtures of solid or liquid particles (“suspended particles”) in a gas or gas mixture (for example air), ”reports the Federal Environment Agency. "A transmission of the Sars-CoV-2 coronavirus by aerosols is possible in certain situations over greater distances, for example if many people come together in insufficiently ventilated indoor spaces and there is increased production and accumulation of aerosols," says the Federal Center for Health Enlightenment with.

In addition to ridicule and malice, Laumann also received other reactions on social networks.

Several users emphasized that it was not clear from the WDR report what Laumann was specifically referring to.

In the “Current Hour”, the 2G-Plus model for indoor fitness studios and sports facilities was discussed beforehand.

In addition, users pointed out that it was unclear which assessment by the Cologne Health Department the NRW Minister of Health was referring to.

Virologist Christian Drosten * also recently commented on the Omikron variant.

He shared “good” news. * (Tu)