Hospitals starting to regain surgery capacity, healthcare authority says

Hospitals in the Netherlands indicate that they have a little more capacity to perform surgeries, the Dutch healthcare authority NZa said on Wednesday. This week surgery capacity is at 54 percent of usual, compared to around 50 percent last week, NOS reports.

The number patients GPs referred to hospitals and independent clinics last week was at 76 percent of what the NZa would have expected without the pandemic. A total of 104 thousand referrals were issued last week.

There were slightly less referrals for checking for cancer since the Christmas holidays than the NZa would have expected, but slightly more referrals to mental healthcare. 

On Tuesday, public health institute RIVM reported fewer than six thousand new coronavirus infections for the fourth straight day. At 4,335, the single-day total was the lowest since December 1. Pressure on the healthcare system was still high with 245 Covid-19 patients admitted into regular care on Tuesday, and 42 others were admitted into intensive care. Both figures were 14 percent higher than the weekly average.