Dutch COVID-19 Patients Airlifted to Germany among Worsening Coronavirus Outbreak

The Netherlands airlifted COVID-19 patients to Germany. (Wikimedia Commons.)

A Dutch hospital airlifted two COVID-19 patients to Germany on October 23 to alleviate strain on their hospital’s resources.

COVID-19 cases have dramatically increased in the Netherlands over the past month. The country recorded 3,293 cases on October 1; on October 29, officials reported 17,789 new cases. 

With a cumulative total of 771 cases per 100,000 people over a 14-day period, the Netherlands now has one of the highest rates of the infection in Western Europe.

Alarmed by the progressing rate of infection, the Dutch government ordered a partial lockdown throughout the country, closing bars and restaurants on October 14. 

Mark Rutte, the Prime Minister of the Netherlands, called the lockdown “necessary,” explaining that “the coronavirus has been given too much room to spread.”

Germany has found itself accepting many patients airlifted from international destinations. German hospitals treated 232 intensive care patients from Italy, France, and the Netherlands when the coronavirus first hit Europe in March and April. 

Coronavirus patients have again begun to rapidly fill intensive care units (ICUs) in Dutch hospitals. As of October 29, Dutch ICUs admitted an average of 49 COVID-19 patients per day, with coronavirus patients accounting for 54.1 percent of all occupied ICU beds.

The need to transfer patients internationally reflects a health care system under increasing strain. 

Peter Pels, the spokesman of Flevohospital, from which the two patients initially sought treatment, said in a statement to the Independent that transferring patients internationally “was a last resort.” He acknowledged moving patients as a drastic step for both for patients themselves and their families, but added that “to keep the quality and safety of care at a good level, unfortunately it is necessary.”

The partial lockdown may curb the spread of the virus, but the effects of the newly implemented rules may not present in case numbers quite yet. At present, the coronavirus pandemic has claimed the lives of 7,192 people in the Netherlands.