Of the people who are admitted to the Elisabeth-TweeSteden Hospital (ETZ) in Tilburg with corona, half have been vaccinated and half of that group is completely healthy. Berden sees an increase in vaccinated elderly patients without underlying disease. “We think that’s because the immune system is declining in the elderly.” Berden emphasizes that vaccines still help very well, but that their effect is weakening.
Booster shot for healthcare staff
So a booster shot is necessary. “The faster the better,” says Berden. “I don’t understand why we have to wait a few weeks with this. The vaccines are there and there is injection capacity.”
Berden does want the healthcare staff to be the first to receive that third shot, unlike the cabinet that wants to give priority to the elderly. The chairman of the EZT warns that if we follow the order of the cabinet, “we will have a major failure in healthcare and we will get completely stuck”.
Berden is not alone in this, other hospital administrators from the region also say the same: first prick the hospital staff, the general practitioner, the ambulance staff and the employees of care homes. “And start today.”
Already seen
Last year, the first corona patient in the Netherlands was admitted to Elisabeth-TweeSteden, now the scenario from last year seems to be repeating itself. Once again we are talking about possible flare-up infection figures after carnival and winter sports holidays. “I don’t think that is very wise to book it this year,” says the director, who is also chairman of the regional Consultation Acute Care.
“I have a feeling of déjà vu, because we don’t know where we will end up. But we have learned from the previous crisis and can now apply that knowledge.” However, the situation is now more critical and more exciting than last year in his hospital, because other cities can no longer help to receive patients. “Last year on the hospital floor, we were especially afraid of what was to come. Now you fear that it will not stop with the sick corona patients who keep coming.”
Act too late
According to Berden, we are now acting too late, but “appropriately”. Stricter measures are expected to be announced at the press conference on Friday. “We expect that about forty percent more IC beds will be occupied next week. Then we have to scale down a lot of regular care. Last year we had a corona crisis and now we have a capacity crisis.”
There is a threat of a so-called care crisis in which people can no longer receive the care they need. “That means that we are rationing care that is not urgent. We have stopped providing catch-up care and for the next two weeks we will not be able to provide the care we would like,” sighs Berden.
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