Hospitals in southern Dutch province raise COVID-19 alarm

THE HAGUE, Netherlands — Hospitals successful the confederate Dutch state of Limburg warned the authorities Tuesday that they tin nary longer header with caller COVID-19 patients amid soaring rates of coronavirus infections.

Five hospitals successful the state that borders some Belgium and Germany raised the alarm successful a connection that said: “We are heading consecutive for a healthcare blockage and the full strategy is grinding to a standstill.”

They added that, “we are convinced that different parts of the Netherlands volition soon follow.”

Amid an autumn surge crossed overmuch of Europe, the seven-day rolling mean of regular caller cases successful the Netherlands has astir doubled implicit the past 2 weeks from 30.88 to 61.12 caller cases per 100,000 radical contempt much than 80% of the big colonisation being afloat vaccinated.

The caretaker Dutch authorities past week reintroduced an bid to deterioration look masks successful nationalist places similar stores and libraries and mandated an hold for the usage of COVID-19 passes. Both measures came into unit implicit the weekend. The medication is scheduled to conscionable again Friday to sermon imaginable further measures if the soaring numbers bash not ease.

The hospitals successful Limburg said successful their connection that their occupancy levels are present the aforesaid arsenic the extremity of December past twelvemonth — erstwhile the Netherlands was successful lockdown.

“This time, however, determination is nary imaginable of a solution — aft all, nine is unfastened — but it seems arsenic if the attraction organizations and employees are the lone ones who inactive person this consciousness of situation and urgency,” they said. “We consciousness unsocial successful this struggle.”

They appealed for an contiguous commencement to a run to springiness booster shots to susceptible radical and wellness attraction workers. The booster run is expected to commencement adjacent month.

Health Minister Hugo de Jonge said Tuesday that the authorities is researching whether the run tin commencement sooner.

“If it tin hap quicker, we volition bash it quicker,” De Jonge told reporters.