Numerous intensive care units are already being occupied by corona patients. Experts expect that hospitals will soon be overburdened.
Frankfurt – The number of cases in Germany is increasing and in view of the new corona variants, experts are warning of a new wave in autumn.
“We are facing extremely difficult weeks across the board and not just in southern Germany,” said Gerald Gass, CEO of the German Hospital Society, to the editorial network Germany (RND) .
Corona patients in the hospital: Hospitality rate “as high as at the peak of the summer wave”
There is a significant increase in the number of corona-positive patients. “Compared to the previous week, occupancy has increased by 50 percent,” said Gass on Wednesday (October 12). “With around 19,000 patients who tested positive, we are currently as high as at the peak of the summer wave,” Gass continued. The hospital society sees a difficult time ahead due to the increase in patients with Covid-19 infection. Health Minister Karl Lauterbach warned in July of new corona waves and a possible overload of critical infrastructure.
The number of patients infected with corona in intensive care units has also recently increased. The intensive care register of the German Interdisciplinary Association for Intensive Care and Emergency Medicine shows that there were 1,600 new cases on Tuesday (October 11) alone.
The increasing numbers mean more work for the hospital staff, but “all patients have to be isolated and the corona infection can worsen the prognosis of patients with other diseases,” said the head of the registry, Christian Karaginnadis, to the RND . Half of the intensive care patients currently have to be treated for an infection with Covid-19.
Corona in hospitals: further overload due to staff shortages
More patients with Covid-19 also mean a higher risk of infection for hospital staff. These must ensure a higher level of protection against infection, which means additional work. Nevertheless, some clinics are already preparing for high staff shortages, according to Gerald Gas.
He warns of a “devastating triad” that is coming to the hospitals. This triad consists of staff shortages, bureaucracy and the economic pressures that are compounded by inflation. This could even lead to hospitals having to deregister departments and postpone services.
Christian Karaginnadis’ prognosis isn’t very optimistic either. He warns of overloaded intensive care units due to the future absence of employees: “In some regions of Bavaria, Hesse and in several cities in North Rhine-Westphalia, we already have hotspots where there are hardly any free intensive care beds left because the staff is often symptomatic and absent for a longer period of time,” he said. “We have to adapt to this in many other parts of Germany in the coming weeks.” (Kilian Bäuml / dpa)
