The MCL is the largest hospital in Leeuwarden
translated by Thomas Ansell
The massive hospital in the city of Leeuwarden, the MCL, is keeping an entire department at the ready to receive any Corona virus patients that may require isolation. It comes as hospitals across the province have adopted new regulations to help control the outbreak. As reported by the Omrop Fryslân.
Some of the regulations have involved stocking up on protective equipment such as face masks, so that they can be better distributed if needed. Patients that have the virus but present with minor symptoms will be asked to stay away from the hospital and self-isolate at home. Isolation rooms have been readied to receive any patients that cannot stay home, or require more complex treatment.
The MCL has eight isolation rooms, but provisions have been made in case more people come to the hospital; hence the kept-empty department. The department has fifteen individual rooms, but there is space to put another bed in each room if required, said Gerard Akkerman of the MCL.
The department can’t be suddenly pressed into use without warning, as that would cause staff issues. “People that work in that department won’t be allowed to eat in the hospital restaurant, and they will have to use a separate entrance and exit”, said Akkerman.
In the MCL a special ‘corona-team’ meet each day, to keep on top of any developments. This comes following the news (also via the Omrop Fryslân) that a third patient with COVID-19 has been found in Drachten (Smallingerland); a 78-year old man that had been visiting family in North-Brabant, the Dutch province with the most infections.
For the most up-to-date information on the COVID-19 outbreak in the Netherlands, make sure to check the RIVM and GGD Groningen websites.
