N. Holland hospitals start reopening Covid-19 care units; Regular care continues

Multiple hospitals across the province of Noord-Holland were reopening the special nursing wards for patients with Covid-19, including facilities in Amsterdam, Alkmaar, parts of the West Friesland region, and soon also in Zaandam, according to a hospital survey conducted by NH Nieuws. “We prefer to center the corona care in one place, so that the other care can continue," said a spokesperson of the Noordwest Ziekenhuis, a hospital in Alkmaar.

"Our biggest concern is that people stay away because of fear," said Sandra de Jong, a spokesperson for the Rode Kruis hospital in Beverwijk. All the hospitals that were interviewed by NH Nieuws said that regular care unrelated to the coronavirus disease is still running normally. 

The Beverwijk hospital has not yet opened a special department for coronavirus care, and neither has the OLVG in Amsterdam, which is working with other facilities to coordinate Covid-19 patient care in a few specific places instead of at every facility. "We work well with other hospitals in the region and can transfer the patients," a spokesperson told NH Nieuws.

In this way, the OLVG and other hospitals can more easily guarantee that non-Covid care continues, which was seriously hindered in March and April. Despite being prepared, the OLVG spokesperson said the situation was still tense as infections and hospital admissions continue their exponential rise.

De Jong agreed, saying "We were not given the time to recover. But we are paying a lot of attention to it, so that everyone is mentally ready for it."

"Plannable care has not yet been postponed, but I am afraid that is not a matter of if it will happen, but when," the Noordwest Ziekenhuis spokesperson said.