As of Wednesday, Luxembourg’s hospitals have entered “phase 3" of the national Covid response strategy. This means that non-urgent surgeries and medical procedures will be postponed due to the elevated rates of hospitalised coronavirus patients.
With the current saturation, hospital staff are no longer able to complete 100% of their everyday tasks. Nevertheless, urgent medical procedures will still be assured.
Dr Turk underlined that the level of preparation has significantly increased since the beginning of the pandemic. However, after two years, staff members show extreme fatigue due to the constant pressure, and management fears that burnouts and sickness certificates may be on the rise.
In terms of the Omicron variant, Dr Turk expressed concerns that the national vaccination rate is not high enough to bring about herd immunity: “I hope that more people decide to get their first jab!”
When asked about a potential vaccine mandate, the physician was unwilling to share his opinion, but underlined that the question needs to be addressed soon.
