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AMSTERDAM. –Dutch health authorities said yesterday they were running short of Covid-19 tests, as the Netherlands registered more than 20 000 new coronavirus cases for the second day in a row, the highest since the pandemic began.
“We are coming up against the maximum of our capacity,” said Jaap Eikelboom, head of Covid-19 operations at the National Public Health Service, in a statement.
The service said it was working to expand test capacity amid a new surge that has caught health authorities and Prime Minister Mark Rutte’s government off guard.
The National Institute for Health (RIVM) on Tuesday reported a record of more than 110 000 new cases in the week ended Nov. 16, an increase of 44 percent from the week before.
Hospital admissions are rising and several are curtailing regular care to accommodate Covid-19 patients.
Earlier this month Rutte’s government reintroduced masks in stores, and last weekend it reimposed a partial lockdown, including closing bars and restaurants after 8 p.m. But the impact of those measures has not yet been seen in the daily numbers.
Parliament met with Rutte on Tuesday night to debate whether to restrict access to indoor public venues to people who have a “corona pass” showing they have been vaccinated or already recovered from an infection.
Politicians were sharply divided on the idea, with some arguing that it discriminates unfairly against the unvaccinated and others arguing that it may be necessary anyway as a matter of public health. No law has yet been proposed for a vote.
In Stockholm, The Swedish government plans to introduce a requirement for COVID-19 vaccine passes at indoor events where more than 100 people attend, a step recommended by health officials warning of a rising tide of infections in coming weeks.
The centre-left government was preparing a bill to be put forward to parliament with the aim to having the vaccination passes in effect from December 1, Health Minister Lena Hallengren said yesterday.
In Prague, Czech authorities will ban people who have not been vaccinated or have not recovered from coronavirus infection from access to public events and services from Monday, Prime Minister Andrej Babis said.
The restrictions, to be approved by the full cabinet today, come after a spike in new infections to record 22 479 on Tuesday and mean that negative tests will no longer be recognised as qualification to enter events and service establishments, Babis said on television.– Reuters
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