In the Brabant hospitals, the first signs of a corona summer wave are visible.
The number of corona patients admitted has risen from 28 to 70 in the last three weeks. So far, the number of intensive care unit (ICU) admissions is well under control except for four seriously ill patients.
As much as everything about COVID-19 seems to be a distant nightmare, the increasing positive tests and the number of virus particles in the seweage tests is a new reality. The number of people who turn out to be infected after a GGD test has quadrupled in three weeks. Although official GGD testing is not advised, RIVM concludes that we are at the beginning of a new corona upsurge.
Variants
The increase is due to two new versions of the omikron variant of the coronavirus. Those subtypes are spreading rapidly. People get just as sick from the new omikron versions as from the predecessors, but if more people contract the virus, more people can also end up in the hospital.
Hospital admissions
So far, the hospitals show the capability to absorb these rising infection rates. What is worrying though, is the hospital staff themselves contracting the virus. However, after the experiences in recent years hospitals have plans ready to collaborate and scale up if necessary.
Working from home
Employers’ organisations are also concerned about the increasing number of corona infections. They want basic rules to be observed again to keep the spread of the virus within limits. The Dutch employers’ federation VNO-NCW advocates for people with symptoms to work from home.
With the approaching holiday season and current labour shortage, absenteeism due to illness would be difficult to manage. The request is, therefore, to observe basic measures such as washing hands and self-testing.
Source: OmroepBrabant
Translator: Seetha
