Omicron contamination?

Karl Lauterbach makes a clear announcement

Created: 01/03/2022, 4:12 PM

From: Yannick Hanke

Federal Health Minister Karl Lauterbach (SPD) speaks in an interview about the possible contamination of Germany with the Omikron variant.

(Kreiszeitung.de-Montage) © Chris Emil Janssen / imago / Pavlo Gonchar / dpa

Federal Health Minister Karl Lauterbach (SPD) speaks about the danger of the Omikron variant - and reveals what he thinks of a nationwide contamination.

Berlin / Hanover - Karl Lauterbach (SPD) has been the health minister of the new federal government since the beginning of December 2021.

Basically, the Social Democrat cannot take a day off.

After all, the corona situation remains tense nationwide, the Omikron variant is on the advance.

That is what his conversation with RTL / n-tv should be about.

Karl Lauterbach (SPD) speaks about Omikron: Health Minister sees less drastic progress than with the Delte variant - and warns of the danger for unvaccinated people

Late on Sunday evening, January 2, 2022, Health Minister Karl Lauterbach will answer questions about the federal-state summit in the first week of January and the increased use of the Omikron variant in Germany.

The SPD politician is asked about the milder course of the corona mutation.

Can this provide some relief?

“It's definitely good news.

Thank goodness Omikron is not as dramatic as the Delta variant *.

But unfortunately it is also the case that we have to assume that the unvaccinated people who do not know themselves will have a severe course.

So we have mixed news, for those who have been vaccinated and those who have not, ”Lauterbach restricts directly.

"The Omikron variant will take over": That is why Karl Lauterbach is thinking about shortening the quarantine period

In the following, Lauterbach is also addressed about the federal-state meeting on Friday, January 7th.

As part of this exchange of politics, the new course in the fight against the corona pandemic is to be discussed.

Or, as Karl Lauterbach himself puts it:

We have to deal with the question of how to approach the omicron variant.

The Omikron variant will take over and replace the Delta variant in the next two weeks.

Health Minister Karl Lauterbach (SPD) speaks in an interview with n-tv about the federal-state meeting on January 7, 2022

Lauterbach also addresses a possible adjustment to the corona quarantine rules.

The duration of the quarantine may be shortened in connection with the Omikron variant.

Last but not least, it is about protecting “critical infrastructure”, as Lauterbach puts it.

These include clinics, fire brigades or power supply that have to keep their operations going - which would be made more difficult by quarantine failures of employees.

Lauterbach warns: What a contamination of Germany with Omikron would mean

Against the background of the federal-state meeting, there are also questions about even stricter corona rules and a possible contamination of the population in the room.

Karl Lauterbach knows how to express himself clearly on this, too.

“Contamination is not an option.

Even if Omikron is probably not as difficult as the Delta variant, there are still a lot of people left who will have permanent damage ”.

What is meant by a contamination?

The degree of spread of an endemic infectious disease is referred to as infection.

This also counts the people who suffered from an illness but are now healthy again.

The same applies to individuals who are verifiably infected with the pathogen in question, but who show no clinical signs of disease.

In this context, Lauterbach cannot rule out "that long covid will occur in a manner similar to the Delta variant".

Chronic illnesses after an infection with Omikron could be the result, the Minister of Health also assumes deaths.

Lauterbach also looks at the large number of unvaccinated people and whether this group of people will receive protection against Omikron in good time.

Nationwide vaccination against Corona: Karl Lauterbach is campaigning for this

Probably the biggest political issue at the moment comes up in the n-tv interview with Karl Lauterbach, of course: the discussion about nationwide compulsory vaccination against the corona virus.

Lauterbach is campaigning for a mandatory vaccination for adults, and corresponding orders are currently being prepared.

“It's a highly ethical decision as to whether you are for or against compulsory vaccination.

Therefore, I think that there will be corresponding motions in the German Bundestag in a few weeks.

These applications will then decide whether we will be vaccinated or not, ”explains Karl Lauterbach.

The seven-day incidence in Lower Saxony is increasing - but corona numbers from the first two days in 2022 are still missing

Aside from the ethical component brought into play by the Minister of Health, a general compulsory vaccination seems to make sense with a view to the current corona numbers.

On January 3, 2022, the Robert Koch Institute (RKI) reported 3,818 new corona infections in Lower Saxony alone.

The seven-day incidence is 174.6 per 100,000 population.

For comparison: on the previous Monday, December 27, 2021, the seven-day incidence in Lower Saxony was 129.7.

On Friday, December 31, 2021, to 157.4.

In addition, the number of deaths in connection with a corona infection rose by two people to a total of 6,828 deaths only in Lower Saxony.

However, it must also be taken into account that the state of Lower Saxony has not yet submitted any official corona numbers on the first two days in 2022.

Accordingly, an even greater increase cannot be ruled out.

(Data as of January 3, 2022, 2:10 p.m.) * Kreiszeitung.de and 24hamburg.de are offers from IPPEN.MEDIA.