Fact not fiction.

(Germany) (AFP) –


With intensive care beds filling up and health staff running short, a hospital in Bavaria's Freising made an unprecedented decision to transfer a coronavirus patient to northern Italy for treatment


Through the highs and lows spanning 18 months of the pandemic, Germany had on many occasions taken in patients from neighbouring countries as hospitals elsewhere ran out of space.

But a fourth ferocious wave has sent infections to record highs in Europe's biggest economy, putting hospitals in parts of the country under immense strain and forcing some to look elsewhere in the EU for help.

While the absolute number of patients in intensive care still lies below the peak a year ago, this time around, hospitals are also ailing from the double whammy of a shortfall in personnel that has seriously hampered their ability to cope.

"Last week, on Wednesday or Thursday, we had to transfer a patient by helicopter to Merano," said Thomas Marx, 43, medical director at the hospital in Freising, a town with 50,000 inhabitants that is about 350 kilometres (220 miles) away by road.


"We had no more capacity to receive them, and the surrounding Bavarian hospitals were also full," he said.

Germany hospitals' ability to cope with the new spike in Covid-19 cases is being exacerbated by shortages of qualified staff as people desert the sector .

The hospital also had to send another patient to another Bavarian town Regensburg over the weekend.

"We are at the limits of our capacity, which is why we have to resort to these means," he said.

Marx's service is handling 13 intensive care cases at the moment, three more than it has capacity for.

Five of them are coronavirus patients, all of whom are unvaccinated.


With Germany's vaccination rate stagnating at under 70 percent in recent weeks, top health officials have pleaded for more to get the jab to stem the surge in infections.

Chancellor Angela Merkel made a new plea on Wednesday for the unvaccinated to get jabbed, saying "when enough people are vaccinated, that is the way out of the pandemic".

In a bid to get more to take the jab, Germany's parliament is poised to vote through new regulations for more curbs on the unvaccinated.

Under proposals drafted by the three parties in talks to form Germany's new government, unvaccinated people will soon have to produce a negative test to use public transport or go to the office.

At the intensive care unit of Munich Clinic Schwabing, senior doctor Niklas Schneider voiced frustration over vaccine resistance in some quarters.

"I find it really astonishing that vaccination is not accepted by the masses even though we have the possibility to get it. It is not completely understandable to me that so many people are allowing themselves to be misled by some horror stories about vaccines," he said.

Like the hospital in Freising, the Munich clinic is at full capacity.
"The team is holding on, but we are incredibly frustrated... because at the end of the day we are the last resort for everything that is wrong with society as a whole," said Schneider.

"The sick people who come to us, who are in mortal danger, we have to treat them, they need help. It doesn't matter if they were previously anti-Corona, anti-vaccine or double-vaccinated, although we don't have any of the latter in the ward."

Besides the relatively low vaccine takeup compared to other parts of western Europe, health staff also complain that more should also have been done to bolster their capacity.
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Comments (16)

And this is why I took it.
I dunn wanna burden any hospital with my vaccine skeptic ego.
No. But I'm surprised by the low capacity.
Only china built hospitals one after the other in like 8 days... haha

drinking
@Tiger_Moth

Nice to see u Tiget..
I saw a video saying that Norway and Singapore have decided to live with covid....



Perhaps Siozie can shed some lights if true or not Norway has decided to live with covid and allow citizens to go on with their normal life.

As for hospitals,well italy in the 90's had something like 500k hospital beds,since italy entered EU and EU imposed budget cuts the first to suffer over the years has been public health with cutting for hospital beds around 280k which has left italy with around 200k slightly more beds in hospitals,and that is thanks to EU policies!.
Facts not fiction!.

Is my strong opinion that Border controls have to be very tight,reason why..
Last summer and i mean no disrespect for UK folks but those that came from UK did anything but respect and follow italian guide lines specific for covid,which imposed 5 days of quarantine.
Some news reported aside the facts that no controls of any where being done at airports,while a journalist was interviewing a guy from UK at a specific question "Will u do the 5 days quarantine?" the guy answered "No!".

My opinion is tight border rules adding to that and as far as i know what Australia did which is u wanna enter the country?.
Ok u have to stay in quarantine or be sent back home.

To prevent the spread of a variant,the only solution is heavy border rules and laws,since globalization is quiet the opposite virus and criminals "at least within EU borders" can roam freely and without any control AT ALL.
As its being proven world wide any covid vaccines prevent a single person from ending up in the hospital and not to stop the vaccine from spreading!.
The only effective solution to prevent spreading is every single citizens FOLLOW the guidelines and respect em!.
Tho now days humans follow the rules dictated by their whims...
Common sense? Lost along the way!

For example if a chinise take a flight to germany than take a car and drive to italy no check of any kind will be done because that chinise supposedly has been checked in germany.

Globalization is good only for profits and capitalism,ain't good at all for the daily lives of the people living in a country.
Look at what the planet has become by following the ideology of profits above anything else.
And everybody i mean none is spared, will suffer the consequences!,even those that are against Capitalism!.

cheers cheers cheers cheers
Morning Grand wave

I too was concerned about the vaccine but common sense prevailed . Worrying times for sure. Stay safe my friend.hug
Ciao Happywave

Thanks for your interesting comments and observations.handshake

Contrary to popular belief and being labelled a "leftie" by some posters I'm not politically minded but have to say that yes the U.K. was very lax after lock down thanks to bodger Boris.

It's common sense also that if you have rules with regards travel during the pandemic ,driving across borders has to be a top priority with regards safety.

For almost 2 years the World has been dealing with Covid and it doesn't seem to be totally under control so yes we have to make changes to our lifestyles in order to protect ourselves and others.

I live near a holiday resort and after the first lock down the rate of covid cases lowered but when the ban was lifted the flood gates opened and the resort was swamped with people ,many of whom had no regard for safety and the rate shot up alarmingly. It was more about economy than public health.


Stai al sicuro amico mio ma divertitihug
Morning Chesney

Can't say I agree with you that children have nothing to fear from covid as many have died from catching it.

Where does one draw the line in keeping people healthy.

dunno
Don't let the melodrama of Bob and Boh discredit the fact that science is supposed to behave very cautiously. Any less than this requires a patient to be in imminent danger. More like a 1 in 10000 chance that they'd live, not a 1 in 10000 chance that they would die.
Now I'm not going to call the vaccinated stupid because for older people I think it's worth the risk. It's youth that should not be vaccinated and the working age who should stop at 1 dose.
Some people are such good citizens, they would take "whatever" for the purpose of not taking hospital beds.

Why don't we all kill ourselves and save this planet from the stupid race and leave animals and plants alone?
Don't worry, your wish will come true soon.
What I like in Germany, that unlike Ireland, they didn't shut down their health system and enabled people to still got checked.

I had to go to Germany (and pay a fortune out of pocket) to get diagnosed.

It was the right thing to do. I really miss the German health system.
@ ana

I think you'll find that most people accepting a vaccine is to protect themselves not to save hospital beds.sigh

I do agree about plants and animals though. Lessons need learning and fast.handshake
@KNenagh

Sorry to read this and hope all stays well with you.

The N.H.S. is struggling to cope since the pandemic and has a back log of patients awaiting referrals for different ailments. 13 to 18 weeks was the maximum waiting time for replacement joints ,now it's 18 to 24 months and cancer patients are also struggling with their chemo etc.

Sad times indeed.sigh
@happcamp. About this country Northwegicum its not more people here than half London
and I felt the leadership here been transparent and as good as can be about the pandemic
all along.
Personally I think stricter flight regulatives (back then) could have been imposed,
but I suppose business has to claim their needs as well hmmm... dunno

YES, the gov here has decided to take a step back, BUT it's all relative.
(As a result) we have higher numbers than ever now... so,
some has started wearing the mask again, but it's not pushed by gov,
only suggested.
@Siozie

Big difference between imposed and suggested!.

Citizens have to realize by themselves what good or whats bad.

As for growing number of cases even tho 80 something % of italians are vaccinated,but still number of dead has grown in italy along with number of infected on ICU.

So even if the vaccines still doesn't send u to hospital u still get infected along with spreading it around!!!

So i guess vaccine BS its just that a BS.

Along with what i've just read said by Fauci.....

cheers cheers cheers cheers cheers
Right HC, still spreading like wildfire.
A close friend of mine got it yesterday, I think she will be fine thanks to a gen good health.
At least I hope so.
I still think the vaccine (most misleading name in history) makes sense.
I'll have my booster when offered.

Me personally don't listen to the likes of Gates or Fauci.
Dunn trust any who seem to have a horse in the race.

cheers cheers cheers
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Tiger_Moth

Tiger_Moth

Yeovil, Somerset, England, UK

Forthright and honest. No time for people with exaggerated make believe lifestyles or liars. [read more]

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created Dec 2021
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