Cabinet must intervene now, or we risk Covid code black: ICU expert
3 years, 3 months ago

Cabinet must intervene now, or we risk Covid code black: ICU expert

NL Times  

Diederik Gommers, intensive care doctor and head of the Dutch association for intensive care NVIC, again appealed to the government to take measures to limit the spread of the coronavirus. Scaling up the ICU capacity is not possible at the moment, as staff members are sick or overworked at home, or taking much needed vacation, Gommers said. Training new nurses takes time - about five years for a nurse on a regular ward, and an additional 18 months for intensive care - so the shortage will remain for the time being, even if there was massive interest in becoming an ICU nurse. So "cabinet, please take measures to keep the flow of Covid patients as small as possible," Gommers said.

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History of this topic

Dutch gov't blind to long-term consequences of coronavirus approach: Dutch Safety Board
1 year, 2 months ago

Dutch gov't blind to long-term consequences of coronavirus approach: Dutch Safety Board

NL Times  

During the coronavirus pandemic, the Dutch government was so focused on keeping acute care available that it was blind to the other effects of its coronavirus policy. By focusing its policy on available ICU places, the government ignored other issues like health problems due to delayed care, Long Covid, and broader social problems. “During the coronavirus crisis, the Cabinet stuck …

Netherlands pledges to compensate healthcare workers suffering from Long Covid
1 year, 10 months ago

Netherlands pledges to compensate healthcare workers suffering from Long Covid

NL Times  

The Cabinet will still draw up a financial scheme for healthcare workers who are no longer able to work due to the long-term effects of Covid-19 complaints, Medical Care Minister Conny Helder told the Tweede Kamer on Wednesday. Despite Helder’s promise, a lawsuit seeking compensation for the workers will continue to move forward for now The Tweede Kamer has been …

Facing COVID surge, China expanding hospitals, ICUs
2 years ago

Facing COVID surge, China expanding hospitals, ICUs

Associated Press  

BEIJING — Facing a surge in COVID-19 cases, China is setting up more intensive care facilities and trying to strengthen hospitals as it rolls back anti-virus controls that confined millions of people to their homes, crushed economic growth and set off protests. A Cabinet meeting called Thursday for “full mobilization” of hospitals including adding staff to ensure their “combat effectiveness” …

Facing COVID surge, China expanding hospitals, ICUs
2 years ago

Facing COVID surge, China expanding hospitals, ICUs

The Hindu  

Facing a surge in COVID-19 cases, China is setting up more intensive care facilities and trying to strengthen hospitals as Beijing rolls back anti-virus controls that confined millions of people to their homes, crushed economic growth and set off protests. A Cabinet meeting called Thursday for “full mobilisation” of hospitals including adding staff to ensure their “combat effectiveness” and increasing …

Facing COVID-19 surge, China expands hospitals, ICUs as Beijing rolls back anti-virus controls
2 years ago

Facing COVID-19 surge, China expands hospitals, ICUs as Beijing rolls back anti-virus controls

Firstpost  

President Xi Jinping’s government is officially committed to stopping virus transmission, the last major country to try. But the latest moves suggest the Communist Party will tolerate more cases without quarantines or shutting down travel or businesses as it winds down its ‘zero-COVID’ strategy Beijing: Facing a surge in COVID-19 cases, China is setting up more intensive care facilities and …

Facing COVID surge, China expanding hospitals, ICUs
2 years ago

Facing COVID surge, China expanding hospitals, ICUs

LA Times  

Facing a surge in COVID-19 cases, China is setting up more intensive care facilities and trying to strengthen hospitals as it rolls back anti-virus controls that confined millions of people to their homes, crushed economic growth and set off protests. A Cabinet meeting called Thursday for “full mobilization” of hospitals including adding staff to ensure their “combat effectiveness” and increasing …

Covid hospital total dips slightly, but new infections could be back on the rise
2 years ago

Covid hospital total dips slightly, but new infections could be back on the rise

NL Times  

Hospitals in the Netherlands recorded a 3 percent decrease in the number of patients with Covid-19 being treated as in-patients. Data from the RIVM showed a similar stabilization in the number of hospitalizations related to Covid-19 during the last calendar week. There was also a 5 percent increase in the number of people who tested positive for the SARS-CoV-2 coronavirus, …

Netherlands must prepare society for future Covid waves: Advisory bodies
2 years, 3 months ago

Netherlands must prepare society for future Covid waves: Advisory bodies

NL Times  

We have to learn to live with the coronavirus, so the government must prepare society as soon as possible for the next phase of the pandemic, 14 agencies, including the Scientific Council for Government Policy, said in advice to the Cabinet. Among other things, the Netherlands must invest in good digital infrastructure so that the switch to online classes and …

Physicians think next Covid wave will catch Cabinet off-guard; Too little urgency
2 years, 6 months ago

Physicians think next Covid wave will catch Cabinet off-guard; Too little urgency

NL Times  

General practitioners believe that the Cabinet is doing too little to prepare the healthcare sector for a new revival of the coronavirus, various associations said in a letter to Health Minister Ernst Kuipers. Because keeping everything in the air during high waves of contamination is simply not possible.” The GPs also said that the Cabinet’s plans for, for example, monitoring …

Health Min. can't rule out another Covid lockdown
2 years, 6 months ago

Health Min. can't rule out another Covid lockdown

NL Times  

Health Minister Ernst Kuipers can't guarantee that there will be no new coronavirus lockdown. Kuipers does not share parliament’s concerns about insufficient capacity at health service GGD to vaccinate many people quickly as soon as this proves necessary. Kuipers does not want to meet parliament’s widely shared wish to expand intensive care capacity. “I can’t predict now whether the number …

Kuipers: more IC beds will not stop coronavirus wave, focus on prevention
2 years, 6 months ago

Kuipers: more IC beds will not stop coronavirus wave, focus on prevention

Dutch News  

Health minister Ernst Kuipers has said increasing intensive care capacity is not the way to tackle a potential new wave of coronavirus infections later in the year. In an interview with Nieuwsuur, Kuipers said there was a ‘high’ chance of the virus returning, but social and business sectors and individuals shared the responsibility for keeping infections under control. If the …

Kuipers: more IC beds will not stop coronavirus wave, focus on prevention
2 years, 6 months ago

Kuipers: more IC beds will not stop coronavirus wave, focus on prevention

Dutch News  

Health minister Ernst Kuipers has said increasing intensive care capacity is not the way to tackle a potential new wave of coronavirus infections later in the year. In an interview with Nieuwsuur, Kuipers said there was a ‘high’ chance of the virus returning, but social and business sectors and individuals shared the responsibility for keeping infections under control. If the …

Fewer than 500 people are now hospitalised with coronavirus
2 years, 7 months ago

Fewer than 500 people are now hospitalised with coronavirus

Dutch News  

The number of coronavirus patients being treated in Dutch hospitals fell below 500 on Thursday, for the first time since October 2021. The number of people testing positive for coronavirus fell to 10,000 last week but the figure is no longer an accurate representation of the spread of the virus, given that people are no longer been recommended to have …

Fewer than 500 people are now hospitalised with coronavirus
2 years, 7 months ago

Fewer than 500 people are now hospitalised with coronavirus

Dutch News  

The number of coronavirus patients being treated in Dutch hospitals fell below 500 on Thursday, for the first time since October 2021. The number of people testing positive for coronavirus fell to 10,000 last week but the figure is no longer an accurate representation of the spread of the virus, given that people are no longer been recommended to have …

'New lockdowns loom' if government fails to anticipate autumn corona wave
2 years, 7 months ago

'New lockdowns loom' if government fails to anticipate autumn corona wave

Dutch News  

The Netherlands needs to step up its preparations for a new wave of coronavirus infections in the autumn or risk another lockdown, experts have warned. Administrators said there was a lack of urgency among policymakers to fix problems, such as a shortage of intensive care beds, that hampered the Dutch pandemic response in the last two years. ‘We have fewer …

'New lockdowns loom' if government fails to anticipate autumn corona wave
2 years, 7 months ago

'New lockdowns loom' if government fails to anticipate autumn corona wave

Dutch News  

The Netherlands needs to step up its preparations for a new wave of coronavirus infections in the autumn or risk another lockdown, experts have warned. Administrators said there was a lack of urgency among policymakers to fix problems, such as a shortage of intensive care beds, that hampered the Dutch pandemic response in the last two years. ‘We have fewer …

Covid ICU patient total below 200 for first time in 15 weeks
2 years, 10 months ago

Covid ICU patient total below 200 for first time in 15 weeks

NL Times  

Hospitals in the Netherlands were treating fewer than 200 Covid-19 patients for the first time since October 26. An additional 1,315 patients were being treated in regular care wards on Thursday afternoon, a net decrease of ten compared to the previous day. The LCPS includes patients in their figures who tested positive for the SARS-CoV-2 coronavirus, but who may not …

Sources: Netherlands could abolish most Covid rules at the beginning of March
2 years, 10 months ago

Sources: Netherlands could abolish most Covid rules at the beginning of March

NL Times  

The Cabinet hopes to be able to abolish most of the remaining corona measures by the beginning of March, including the use of face masks and the 1.5 meter social distancing rule, sources said. From February 25, nightlife locations, festivals and events without fixed seating may already be open to people who test negative for the coronavirus infection. These businesses …

Victoria records 21,997 COVID-19 cases, six deaths and 631 hospitalisations
2 years, 11 months ago

Victoria records 21,997 COVID-19 cases, six deaths and 631 hospitalisations

ABC  

The number of patients with COVID-19 in Victorian hospitals has leapt to 631, as the state records 21,997 new cases and six further deaths. Key points: One in three Victorians getting a lab test are returning positive results The number of COVID-19 patients in hospital has risen by 115 since Tuesday Health services are struggling as hundreds of workers test …

Dutch coronavirus policy at a dead-end, New coronavirus minister needed, says Labour MP
3 years ago

Dutch coronavirus policy at a dead-end, New coronavirus minister needed, says Labour MP

NL Times  

The Tweede Kamer will cut short its winter recess, which officially began on Friday, to hold a debate Tuesday on the new lockdown the Cabinet implemented over the weekend. Labour MP Attje Kuiken, who sits on the Tweede Kamer’s public health committee, indicated she was aggravated by the Cabinet’s sudden decision to put the country in a lockdown that will …

Cabinet killed plan for 100 extra ICU spaces
3 years ago

Cabinet killed plan for 100 extra ICU spaces

NL Times  

The Ministry of Public Health scrapped a plan that could have meant around 100 extra intensive care beds available from the start of this month, the Volkskrant reports. The plan, drafted by patient distribution coordinator LCPS and the association of intensive care NVIC, involved concentrating this extra coronavirus care in three hospitals and recruiting ICU nurses from abroad. The detailed …

Gommers: Hospitals not at code black, but ICUs crowded
3 years ago

Gommers: Hospitals not at code black, but ICUs crowded

NL Times  

Hospitals have not reached 'code black' in the ICUs, but it is overcrowded, chair of the Dutch Association for Intensive Care Diederik Gommers said. Ten days ago, it was expected that there would be 680 Covid-19 patients in the ICU and according to Gommers, we would have ended up at code black if harsh measures were not taken. But 600 …

Covid hospitalizations stabilize after 2 month rise, but 22,700 more infections
3 years ago

Covid hospitalizations stabilize after 2 month rise, but 22,700 more infections

NL Times  

Hospitals in the Netherlands admitted 2,338 people with Covid-19 during the past seven days, four percent fewer than the previous seven-day period. The figure includes 306 people sent directly to an intensive care unit, seven fewer than the previous week. Hospitals were treating 2,670 patients with the coronavirus disease on Saturday afternoon, down two percent from the previous day. Some …

Covid measures: Cabinet leaning towards 5 p.m. closing times but no decision yet
3 years, 1 month ago

Covid measures: Cabinet leaning towards 5 p.m. closing times but no decision yet

NL Times  

The Cabinet has an idea of ​​the direction it wants to take to address the weeks of record-breaking coronavirus infections. This called for hospitality businesses, non-essential shops, and cultural institutions to close every day between the hours of 5 p.m. and 5 a.m. During those consultations, caretaker Prime Minister Mark Rutte and Health Minister Hugo de Jonge voiced the strongest …

Cabinet to decide Friday about tightening coronavirus restrictions
3 years, 1 month ago

Cabinet to decide Friday about tightening coronavirus restrictions

NL Times  

The Cabinet will decide this Friday whether it will impose a new set of coronavirus restrictions on the Netherlands. Health Minister Hugo de Jonge said that the Outbreak Management Team will hold its next meeting on Wednesday evening, and will provide advice to the Cabinet the following day. He wants to know from the experts what it takes to "force …

Hard lockdown, school closure should be considered, says ICU leader Gommers
3 years, 1 month ago

Hard lockdown, school closure should be considered, says ICU leader Gommers

NL Times  

In ten days' time, the intensive care units will be at “Code Black”, with hospitals forced to decide which patients they can help, and who must be turned away, said Diederik Gommers during a Tuesday evening committee meeting of Tweede Kamer members. "I think there is now momentum to enact tough measures and to do so as soon as possible," …

ICU leader: Hospital Code Black likely without faster Covid boosters, more restrictions
3 years, 1 month ago

ICU leader: Hospital Code Black likely without faster Covid boosters, more restrictions

NL Times  

The Netherlands has never been so close to code black in healthcare during the coronavirus pandemic, Diederik Gommers, ICU doctor and head of intensive care association NVIC, said to Nieuwsuur. Earlier this week, nursing homes also called on the Health Ministry to start administering booster shots to their residents and staff sooner than December and January as planned. Health Minister …

IC departments 'will struggle to cope' with influx of coronavirus patients
3 years, 1 month ago

IC departments 'will struggle to cope' with influx of coronavirus patients

Dutch News  

Intensive care specialists at eight of the country’s largest hospitals have warned that their departments risk being overwhelmed if the government fails to curb the latest wave of coronavirus infections. Peter van der Voort, head of intensive care at Groningen’s UMC hospital, told Nieuwsuur that plans to increase the number of IC beds to 1,350 were unrealistic because of a …

IC departments 'will struggle to cope' with influx of coronavirus patients
3 years, 1 month ago

IC departments 'will struggle to cope' with influx of coronavirus patients

Dutch News  

Intensive care specialists at eight of the country’s largest hospitals have warned that their departments risk being overwhelmed if the government fails to curb the latest wave of coronavirus infections. Peter van der Voort, head of intensive care at Groningen’s UMC hospital, told Nieuwsuur that plans to increase the number of IC beds to 1,350 were unrealistic because of a …

ICU expert calls for reinstatement of basic Covid measures
3 years, 1 month ago

ICU expert calls for reinstatement of basic Covid measures

NL Times  

The Cabinet should reimplement the basic measures against the spread of the coronavirus in the press conference scheduled for Tuesday, Diederik Gommers, intensive care doctor and head of the ICU association NVIC, said in the BNR podcast Ask Gommers. According to Gommers, the coronavirus is currently spreading like wildfire because the basic measures no longer apply. The basic measures will …

Hospital directors urge for more rigourous coronavirus measures
3 years, 2 months ago

Hospital directors urge for more rigourous coronavirus measures

NL Times  

Hospital directors pushed for additional coronavirus measures in the Trouw to prevent hospitals from becoming overcrowded with Covid-19 patients. Hospital directors feared that without further restrictions, the number of Covid-19 patients will increase rapidly. Professor of social psychology Arie Dijkstra said in the NOS Radio 1 Journaal that the Cabinet needs to consider that approval of new measures may be …

Cabinet not ready to intervene in increasing coronavirus infections, sources say
3 years, 2 months ago

Cabinet not ready to intervene in increasing coronavirus infections, sources say

NL Times  

There is currently no sense of panic among members of the Dutch Cabinet because of the rapidly increasing coronavirus figures, sources close to the government said. The Cabinet is focusing more on the number of hospital admissions and intensive care unit admissions than on the infection figures. Researcher Marino van Zelst, among others, want the Cabinet to place more emphasis …

ICU capacity simply can't be scaled up further, Gommers says
3 years, 2 months ago

ICU capacity simply can't be scaled up further, Gommers says

NL Times  

The Dutch intensive care units simply cannot grant the request of caretaker Health Minister Hugo de Jonge to scale up to more than the current maximum of 1,350 ICU beds in the coming winter. Several media reported that the Ministry of Health recently asked intensive care units to consider whether it is possible to increase capacity again if the flow …

Hospitals on the verge of delaying regular care as Covid admissions rise
3 years, 2 months ago

Hospitals on the verge of delaying regular care as Covid admissions rise

NL Times  

As the number of coronavirus-related hospital admissions rises, Dutch hospitals are again starting to delay plannable surgeries and regular care, NRC reports after surveying the large hospitals. The number of Covid-19 patients increased rapidly last week, and partly due to high absenteeism, the hospital could not absorb the influx. "And if the number gets too high, then scenarios are ready …

Fewer than 50 Covid-19 patients sent to the ICU this week; ICU total at 10-week low
3 years, 2 months ago

Fewer than 50 Covid-19 patients sent to the ICU this week; ICU total at 10-week low

NL Times  

Fewer than 50 Covid-19 patients in the Netherlands were admitted to an intensive care unit during the past seven days, the lowest for any week-long period since mid-July. An average of just under 7 patients were sent to an ICU each of the past seven days when they were first hospitalized, according to data from patient coordination office LCPS. On …

Covid-19 cases forcing hospitals to ration care is unfair and unacceptable, expert says
3 years, 3 months ago

Covid-19 cases forcing hospitals to ration care is unfair and unacceptable, expert says

CNN  

CNN — The magnitude of Covid-19 patients filling hospital beds is avoidable, doctors say. “We are at the point where not every patient in need will get the care we might wish we could give,” said Dr. Shelly Harkins, chief medical officer of St. Peter’s Health in Helena, Montana. In those situations, “people who come in in cardiac arrest may …

Hospitalizations, not infections, to take lead in determining Covid policy
3 years, 3 months ago

Hospitalizations, not infections, to take lead in determining Covid policy

NL Times  

From September 25, the cabinet is changing its approach to determining the coronavirus policy. Instead of looking at the number of infections to determine which measures are needed to keep the spread of the virus under control, the cabinet will look at the number of Covid-19 related hospital- and ICU admissions, Health Minister Hugo de Jonge said in a letter …

Intensive care still under high pressure from Covid, RS, injuries
3 years, 3 months ago

Intensive care still under high pressure from Covid, RS, injuries

NL Times  

Seven hospitals are still unable to deliver critical scheduled care, such as cancer treatments, due to the pressure on intensive care units. With the current ICU occupancy by Covid patients, little is needed to have to scale down scheduled care again on a large scale," according to the NZa, who, partly for this reason, advised not to let go of …

A COVID Surge Is Overwhelming U.S. Hospitals, Raising Fears Of Rationed Care
3 years, 3 months ago

A COVID Surge Is Overwhelming U.S. Hospitals, Raising Fears Of Rationed Care

NPR  

A COVID Surge Is Overwhelming U.S. Hospitals, Raising Fears Of Rationed Care Enlarge this image toggle caption Kyle Green/AP Kyle Green/AP The U.S. health care system is again buckling under the weight of a COVID-19 surge that has filled more than 100,000 hospital beds nationwide and forced some states to consider enacting "crisis standards of care" — a last resort …

National Cabinet considers how to deal with an influx of COVID-19 patients, with hospitals already straining
3 years, 3 months ago

National Cabinet considers how to deal with an influx of COVID-19 patients, with hospitals already straining

ABC  

There's something Mark McGowan would rather not talk about. Mr McGowan has conceded the system is under pressure but said "hundreds" of aged and disability care patients were occupying hospital beds because the federal government had failed to fund enough beds for them elsewhere. The Delta outbreak in New South Wales is putting enormous strain on the state's health system, …

How many COVID cases can Victoria handle before its hospitals' ICU capacity is overrun?
3 years, 3 months ago

How many COVID cases can Victoria handle before its hospitals' ICU capacity is overrun?

ABC  

Victoria has now abandoned hope of driving its Delta outbreak down to zero, but will remain mostly locked down for the next couple of months in a bid to prevent hospitals from being overwhelmed. The director of Austin Health's intensive care unit, Stephen Warrillow, said the "pragmatic" framing of the question should yield realistic and useful data to help governments …

NSW Health system stretched by COVID-19 Delta outbreak but Premier insists hospitals will 'cope'
3 years, 3 months ago

NSW Health system stretched by COVID-19 Delta outbreak but Premier insists hospitals will 'cope'

ABC  

The union representing health workers says the NSW Premier is "talking a big game" if she thinks the state's hospital system can withstand an expected increase in COVID-19 cases over the coming weeks. Key points: The Premier has warned October will be the state's worst month in case numbers The Premier has warned October will be the state's worst month …

Covid is here to stay so more ICU beds are structurally needed , doctors say
3 years, 3 months ago

Covid is here to stay so more ICU beds are structurally needed , doctors say

NL Times  

The coronavirus will not disappear completely and will continue to put extra pressure on the intensive care units in Dutch hospitals. The number of ICU beds therefore needs to be structurally increased, the ICU heads and administrators of six large hospitals - including Diederik Gommers of intensive care association NVIC - said to newspaper Trouw. At the end of August, …

Cabinet must better explain Covid measures: Council of State
3 years, 4 months ago

Cabinet must better explain Covid measures: Council of State

NL Times  

The cabinet must better explain on the basis of which criteria coroanvirus measures will be extended or relaxed in the coming period. In the first two situations, the Twm is still necessary, according to the cabinet, but the Council of State notes that it is difficult to predict when the virus will be "permanently under control". It could be that …

Dutch hospitals facing increasing shortage in ICU nurses
3 years, 4 months ago

Dutch hospitals facing increasing shortage in ICU nurses

NL Times  

Hospitals in the Netherlands are still struggling with a shortage in intensive care nurses, with some intensive care units even having less staff available than last year, the Volkskrant reported after surveying 14 hospitals. Less ICU capacity could well be a problem in the coming months, with the highly contagious Delta variant of the coronavirus spreading through the Netherlands, a …

More intensive care staff easier said than done: Health Minister
3 years, 4 months ago

More intensive care staff easier said than done: Health Minister

NL Times  

Staff shortages in Dutch intensive care units are a well-known problem that is not easy to solve. That said caretaker Healthcare Minister Hugo de Jonge in response to calls from the care sector to make more effective policy. Diederik Gommers, chairman of the Dutch Association for Intensive Care, warned on Wednesday morning that ICU capacity is at the end of …

Relaxing Covid measures too soon could be disastrous: Acute Care boss
3 years, 4 months ago

Relaxing Covid measures too soon could be disastrous: Acute Care boss

NL Times  

If the coronavirus measures are relaxed too soon, the number of infections will spike - with the Delta variant and the still too low herd immunity, maybe to 10 thousand per day, Ernest Kuipers, head of the national acute care network LNAZ, said to Nieuwsuur. "We take growth into account when there is more mobility: people go back to work, …

Normally Dutch ICUs only have room for 100 Covid patients
3 years, 4 months ago

Normally Dutch ICUs only have room for 100 Covid patients

NL Times  

If Dutch hospitals go back to pre-pandemic situations, and no longer scale down regular care, there will only be about 100 intensive care beds available for coronavirus patients, Diederik Gommers, ICU doctor and head of intensive care association NVIC, said to NU.nl. These beds must be kept open for patients who need emergency intensive care, for example after a resuscitation …

Covid patients in critical care are decade younger than in previous waves, data shows
3 years, 4 months ago

Covid patients in critical care are decade younger than in previous waves, data shows

The Independent  

Sign up for our free Health Check email to receive exclusive analysis on the week in health Get our free Health Check email Get our free Health Check email SIGN UP I would like to be emailed about offers, events and updates from The Independent. The latest assessment of admissions to hospital critical care units showed 176 patients in intensive …

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