The available bed space is the problem and to have those vaccinated, but sick with Omicron needing hospital care is more than the health care service can provide.
There have been disasterous episodes in the USA. There have been some poorer cities and states that were overwhelmed by the virus in the beginning and thereafter. I remember the horrible bed statisics from Louisiana. I am certain Netherlands is looking at those episodes and learning from them. There does need to be clinics established for boosters in the Netherlands.
This is a huge problem. There is no balance with the global pandemic because the virus continues to mutate. It is so grossly unfair for a single past president of the USA to cause this level of hardship. At some point the truth of abrupt change in USA policy with scientific observers in China must be brought to light and remedies of justice decided.
The idea China created this virus is ridiculous. Recent explosions in Chinese student laboratories (click here) is proof that China is not even close to being considered a First World country and it's people are still exposed to animal markets that breed deadly viruses.
The current light at the end of the tunnel is that South Africa is proving to have emerged from Omicron and travel restrictions were lifted by the USA. There is still a deficit of vaccine in South Africa. Both the WHO and CDC along with the NIH are still concerned for a greater threat, so the idea this is over is too soon to tell. It would be good if Omicron was the last of the variants. But, as to the Netherlands, it's government is doing the right thing and people need to realize they are lucky if they are free of the most recent variant and the lack of movement is protecting them further.
I might add, this area of the world was hit very hard with storms, floods and devastating destruction to infrastructure. It doesn't make the responsibility any easier now that a virus can cause more hardship.
By Senay Boztas
Amsterdam - Since 5 a.m. on Sunday, (click here) bars, restaurants, museums, schools, clothing stores, gift shops and anything resembling fun have been closed across the Netherlands. We’ve become the first European country to go back to lockdown life amid Omicron (until at least early January): It was “unavoidable,” said Prime Minister Mark Rutte. So here we are, looking over the borders enviously at holiday sales and seasonal celebrations in Belgian Antwerp. Once more, it doesn’t look a lot like Christmas.
The Netherlands’ lockdown stands as a warning to the United States, other European countries and Covid hot spots across the globe. The warning, though, isn’t just about Omicron — other countries have more coronavirus cases and worse vaccination rates than the Netherlands does, and they are not locking down (at least yet).
The warning is about policy failures — the failure to start a booster campaign sooner, to spin up free testing capacity quickly when needed, to persuade more groups of the benefits of vaccines and to ensure there are enough beds in intensive care. Now our hospitals are already full of patients who are infected with the Delta variant, and we probably won’t have enough beds for all of the people who need care if the Omicron wave hits vaccinated people hard too....
