For many people, the coronavirus has become a far-from-my-bed show since the beginning of the summer. Still, it is not good and wise to let go of the rules, Dutch Prime Minister Mark Rutte warned on Friday.
–
Rutte recalled the period in the spring when hospitals were full of corona patients and the capacity in intensive care was barely sufficient. The fact that the virus could be reduced far after that was because the vast majority of the population adhered to the rules. “It was our behavior that made the difference,” said the prime minister.
But on Friday, “just under 2,000” new infections were reported in the Netherlands, the highest number of positive tests so far in one day. It is the fourth day in a row that a record number of positive tests have been registered. Until this week, the peak was 1,327, a number dating back to April 10. “The sense of necessity must return,” said Rutte. What does not help in this respect is the impression that it is now quieter in hospitals than in March and April. Because currently mainly young people contract the virus, corona patients are less ill than then.
But the number of corona patients in hospitals has risen to 288 on Friday, 27 more than on Thursday, and it is the highest number since mid-June. In less than two weeks, the number of corona patients admitted has more than doubled. If the number of infections continues to increase at this rate, it is “inevitable” that this will also have an effect in hospitals, Rutte warned. “We cannot and must not do that to healthcare and the people who work in healthcare.”
“Yes, this is the second wave”
Minister Hugo de Jonge of Public Health also called on the Dutch to stick more closely to the corona measures again. “If you look at the growing number of corona infections, the second wave has started. But if we look at the situation in hospitals, it is not that far yet ”, says De Jonge. “It is up to us together to prevent this from happening. Because much more information is now available about the virus, we can break the second wave. ”
– .
