OMT members warn: things are not going in the right direction | Inland

On Saturday, the number of infections in the Netherlands rose by about 6,500. In Amsterdam, 630 new corona cases were added. De Jong: “It doesn’t look good. Last weekend we were still at about four thousand cases a day, there are now six thousand. The number of admissions is about 1200. In the summer there were between 100 and 200, when we were already worried. One third of ICU admissions are now corona related. ”

The Amsterdam UMC, where De Jong works, is also scaling up. “The city is one of the epicenters of the Netherlands. The number of admissions is increasing. In concrete terms, steps are now being taken to increase the capacity of recordings. This is at the expense of regular care. Employees also fall ill and have to be quarantined at home, which puts extra pressure on care. We notice it on all sides. ”

’Hot zone’

De Jong emphasizes that Amsterdam is a ‘hot zone’. “The city is also high on all European lists. Of course I had hoped that all the measures we have taken would not have been necessary. Because you are in control. ” The number of infections must decrease quickly, but whether that will succeed with the current measures, De Jong doubts. “I am not optimistic.”

According to pediatrician epidemiologist Patricia Bruijning of the UMC Utrecht, also affiliated with the Outbreak Management Team (OMT) as an advisor, all employees in the hospitality industry should really put on a mouth mask. She makes that urgent appeal on Twitter. “May I make an urgent appeal to all catering entrepreneurs in the Netherlands to ask their staff to wear a mouth mask?”

Bruijning relies on recent contamination figures in which the catering industry shows a relatively high percentage, higher than the average measured from June. These are the figures for one week, but according to Bruijning that is not the only indicator. “In American research, restaurant visits turned out to be one of the most important risk factors for a positive corona test.”

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