German hospitals urged to postpone non-critical operations

As the number of COVID-19 cases continues to surge across Germany, hospitals are under pressure to prepare for treating severely ill patients.

Staff in many hospitals in Germany are currently “working at the limits of their capacity,” Uwe Janssens, president of the Interdisciplinary Association for Intensive Care and Emergency Medicine (DIVI), told a press conference on Tuesday.

Speaking alongside German Health Minister Jens Spahn, Janssens urged hospitals in regions with high infection numbers to “end normal operations as soon as possible.”

“Where it is medically justified, procedures must be halted and postponed,” Janssens said, adding hospitals need to conserve resources.

Although Germany currently has enough beds and ventilators available nationwide, Janssens said a “key problem” would be the lack of medical personnel to treat patients needing treatment like anesthesia and ventilation.

The number of confirmed coronavirus cases in Germany increased by 17,214, data from the Robert Koch Institute (RKI) for infectious diseases showed on Wednesday. 

Read more via DW

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