That party on King’s Day doesn’t look so good in hindsight
Translated by Thomas Ansell
Pressure on Northern Dutch hospitals has continued, with a particular lack of Intensive Care beds, reports the Dagblad van het Noorden. The Acute Care Network Northern Netherlands (AZNN) has today said that a combination of staff shortages and rising numbers of people needing hospital care is causing huge concern in hospitals across Groningen, Friesland, and Drenthe.
The coming week is the ‘May holidays’, with staff that have children in particular asking for time off. This has meant that staffing rosters are being filled on a voluntary basis, and where this is not possible then regular care will be further scaled back. This is intended to stop employee burnout, as staff members have often worked since the start of the pandemic with no respite.
Head of the UMCG leadership committee (also head of the regional acute care board) Ate van der Zee says: “we have asked a lot of our staff for a long time, and the end is not yet in sight. The images of busy parks and square on King’s Day were difficult to see. But we are holding hope, and as hospital leaders we are exceptionally proud of our staff members that have been providing care for everyone that needs it.”
Infections rise amongst 18-24s, especially following King’s Day
That hospitals are still suffering from huge pressure has in part been due to infection figures remaining stubbornly high in the North. At the moment, most new infections are in the 18-24 age category.
Medical leaders expect that with the huge numbers of parties, gatherings, and crowds on King’s Day, and this week’s re-opening of terraces and shops, hospital admissions are only likely to grow.
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