On average, more than 16,000 people tested positive every day, the RIVM reported on Tuesday in its weekly figures, numbers which are nowhere near reaching a plateau, according to health experts.Įrnst Kuipers, the incoming health minister, wants the number of COVID patients in hospital to come down to make it possible to resume other planned treatments.
Last week, the RIVM agency for infectious diseases reported 113,554 positive tests against 84,398 the week before against a population of some 17.5 million, an increase of around 35 percent. “And more importantly it means that, even if an infection with the Omicron variant offers a smaller chance of ending up in the hospital, the sheer total amount of infections will lead regular care beds to fill up regardless - space they simply don’t have.” “It shows that the Dutch system is still not in a good place,” van Zelst said. The authority reported on Tuesday that 45 percent of operating theaters were closed, while 20 of 73 Dutch hospitals were failing to deliver critical care within the prescribed six weeks.
Hospitals under pressureĭespite early indications from countries hit earlier by Omicron, like the U.K., that soaring case rates will not cause a flood of patients into intensive care units, the Dutch Healthcare Authority has reported that the pressure on hospitals remains unremittingly high. One prominent vaccine skeptic, Robin Fransman, an economist who headed an independent think tank that campaigned to keep the economy and society open during the pandemic, himself died in December from COVID-19. Since December 19, all nonessential stores have been shut, as have restaurants, museums and other public places.Ĭritics have called out Rutte for overcompensating for past laxity by getting tough in a bid to boost the credibility of his incoming government - and the latest lockdown has triggered persistent and sometimes violent protests in a country where vaccine skepticism has been strong.
#Netherlands lockdown free
While those vaccination stats put the Netherlands above the EU average, they don’t offer a free pass for the government to quickly lift what turned out to be the only national lockdown imposed by a European government to mitigate the threat from Omicron. Initial studies show that boosters are vital to maintaining protection against the Omicron strain that is now dominant in Europe and has been shown to sidestep immune defenses gained through a standard vaccine course or previous infection.
The Netherlands has fully vaccinated 86 percent of its adult population while 38 percent of adults have received a booster shot, official figures show. Van Zelst added: “My fear now, however, is that the government will brew something positive from the numbers again and reopen without promoting other measures such as mask wearing and ventilation - things they have been very lax on in the past." Rutte even apologized in November for failing to convince the public to commit to collective efforts to keep the virus in check. Rutte’s last administration had taken flak for repeatedly loosening social restrictions prematurely and he fell out last year with former Health Minister Hugo de Jonge over the Netherlands’ lackluster drive to get the population vaccinated.
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