Dutch hospitals postpone chemotherapy, organ transplants due to COVID-19 surge

Some Dutch hospitals have halted chemotherapy treatments and organ transplants to free up intensive care beds for a surging number of COVID-19 patients, an official said on Thursday.

The Dutch Hospital Association for Critical Care said it had asked Health Minister Hugo de Jonge to escalate the national COVID-19 plan to a stage under which regular care requiring an overnight stay would be canceled.

The number of coronavirus patients in hospitals has hit levels not seen since early May, and experts have warned that hospitals will reach full capacity in little more than a week if the virus is not contained. Several COVID-19 patients were transferred to German hospitals this week.

Responding to record high infection rates, the government's leading Outbreak Management Team (OMT) convened an emergency meeting Wednesday night. National broadcaster NOS reported on Thursday the OMT has advised the closure of restaurants, bars, and non-essential stores by 5 p.m. as part of a new package of lockdown measures, but the government was not due to make a decision until Friday.

Although some 85% of the adult Dutch population has been fully vaccinated against COVID-19, new cases hit a record high of 23,709 in 24 hours on Wednesday and are up almost 40% on a weekly basis.

"There are hospitals in several regions scaling back care," a spokesperson for the hospital association said. "We are talking about the care that requires a bed. That means a lot of appointments are being canceled."

Under the next phase of the crisis response plan, hospitals could also request the assistance of military personnel and students to help nurse patients.

The Netherlands has recorded more than 2.5 million cases and over 19,000 deaths since the pandemic started.

After ending most social distancing measures in late September, the Dutch government this month reintroduced mask-wearing and reimposed a partial lockdown, with bars and restaurants closing at 8 p.m. (1900 GMT)

Plans to restrict access to many public places to people who have been vaccinated or have recently recovered from COVID-19 prompted three nights of rioting from last Friday and more than 170 people were arrested across the country.