Miss Rona is making the rounds in Dutch hospitals, with an average of 913 patients being treated just this week. As a result, the Minister of Public Health, Ernst Kuipers, has delivered a warning. 😷
And with good reason. This week, the number of coronavirus cases jumped by almost 40% compared to the week before.
Such a swift rise led Kuipers to raise the alarm level of the Dutch coronavirus thermometer from “low” to “raised.”
An uptick in coronavirus cases and hospitalisations
The fall wave continues to hit Dutchies at a slow, yet alarming pace. Last week, an average of 874 coronavirus patients were treated in Dutch hospitals daily. The week before? There were 621. 🦠
By and large, 39 coronavirus patients were treated in the ICU last week, which was 4 more than the week before, writes RTL Nieuws.
What the heck is a coronavirus thermometer?
To be fair, it’s a relatively new term. The coronavirus thermometer is used to measure the pressure on society and healthcare in the Netherlands caused by the virus. It shows the Dutch, at a glance, how serious the pandemic is at a given moment.
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As cases continue to rise sharply, health officials decided to move the thermometer from step 1 to step 2, indicating that the impact on society and healthcare has increased.
Does this mean we have to go into lockdown again?
Even so, new measures against the virus won’t have to be taken just yet.
Instead, Kuipers asks that all vulnerable people follow basic hygiene rules, and get the repeat booster shot to prolong their level of protection.
That being said, if the number of cases continues to climb, we might just be seeing another coronacation consisting of making quarantinis in the future. 😬
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