Erasmus University in Rotterdam has distanced itself from comments made by one of its professors about ‘Covid 1 to 18’ in an online news broadcast by party Forum for Democratie, the AD reports.

In the broadcast, which has since been removed, behaviour and performance management professor Michaéla Schippers said that Covid viruses one to 18 ‘all covered the same span’ and that ‘Covid-20’ could be on the cards soon. She also slated predictions made about the deadliness and infectiousness of the virus.

Critics were quick to point out that Coronavirus does not have 18 predecessors and that it was named simply after the year the virus was discovered by Chinese scientists.

The university said the comments ‘do not reflect the standpoint of the university or the human behaviour and performance faculty.’

Forum for Democratie said that Schippers had been invited to participate in the broadcast because she is investigating the consequences of the government’s coronavirus policies. ‘But what she said was wrong and does not reflect our stance,’ the party stated.

Party leader Thierry Baudet did earlier endorse Schippers’ statement that the ‘measures against coronavirus were more disastrous than coronvirus itself’.

Schippers has since said her comments had been ‘misinterpreted’. Her information, she claimed, came from her colleague Pierre Capel, an emeritus professor of immunology who, the AD said, has criticised coronavirus policy and spoken at a demonstration by coronavirus-sceptic activist group Viruswaarheid.

Er is wat ophef ontstaan over een uitspraak die ik zou hebben gedaan bij FvD. Deze uitspraak is verkeerd geïnterpreteerd. De info is gebaseerd op een gesprek met collega Pierre Capel.
Deze informatie deelt hij ook, op 4:33https://t.co/ejcCN5i6QT
Zie ook:https://t.co/EXk41AXOD9 pic.twitter.com/2ycstw4RLo

— Michaela Schippers (@mc_schippers) November 2, 2020