Overloaded: Elderly patients in some Hungarian hospitals can not receive artificial ventilation

So many people under the age of 65 are admitted to the intensive care unit and require artificial ventilation that in some hospitals, those over this age can not have the chance to receive the same treatment.

While the Hungarian government is already mentioning the opening of the country and when it can finally happen (find details here), the number of people who died from the virus has exceeded 20,000.

More than 20.000 people died in Hungary 

Most of the newly infected people are between the ages of 40 and 49, meaning that the average age of patients has decreased quite a lot. For the third wave, the number of deceased among the most seniors has decreased; however, it has increased in all other age groups.
According to the vice-president of the Trade Union of Hungarian Doctors,

opening the country seems a premature decision.

Judit Tóth talked to ATV about the current situation. She says that the British variant of the virus spreads much rapidly among younger people as they are the most active group in terms of social interaction. This led to the rapid increase of young people being admitted to hospitals with more and more severe symptoms.

According to her, this variant is much more contagious than others, which increases the minimum percentage of the population that needs to receive the vaccine. (from around 60-65% up to 75-80%).

She says the existing rules and restrictions should be taken more seriously, and even new ones should be introduced.

Doctors do not understand why the media is communicating the opening of the country.

She is glad the professors and all those working with children are receiving their jabs. However, immunity and protection will not be complete in only two weeks. While kids are less likely to suffer from severe symptoms, there are some exceptions.

The vice-president thinks that opening the country would be very early. For now, a more extended vaccination coverage is needed apart from the decrease in the number of those being treated in hospitals.

Judit Tóth says that the pandemic will not be stopped in the hospitals but by restrictions. Specialised clinics can help out hospitals and mitigate the pressure put on their care units. However, those arriving from these clinics will have difficulties with adapting to the hospital’s rhythm, and they can not substitute a specialist or a nurse trained to work in the ICU. It will also depend on the municipality we look at. In some areas, one or two colleagues can be freed and be sent to a hospital, but in other cases, when a municipality has only one specialist for a specific area, he needs to continue treating covid-free patients.

The director-general of the hospital of Ózd has recently said publicly that the current situation in his hospital is the same as those shocking pictures and videos we saw last year from Bergamo hospital. Even though the National Directorate General for Hospitals (Országos Kórházi Főigazgatóság) denied it, Judit Tóth said that many of her colleagues from this hospital, with whom she talked, said that the situation was very severe. She also publicly thanked the director-general for standing up for the truth, adding that she expects the same from all hospital directors.

She also shared unfortunate details with the TV channel.

Intensive care units that used to operate with 8 beds are now forced to take care of 40 patients,

while the double or even the triple of new patients arrive, forcing doctors to attend to 40 patients during a shift, which is an incredible weight. She says that the actual situation needs to be shown to the public, not to generate panic but to avoid giving a false impression of safety.

“The situation is extremely severe, according to rules that enter into effect in case of a catastrophe,

doctors need to decide who can receive emergency care,

for instance, if 8 or 10 patients in a critical condition arrive at the hospital at a time.”

Judit Tóth has also heard that

certain hospitals can not provide artificial ventilation to patients over 65 or 70 because the ICU is full of younger people.

Read alsoVirologist predicts the end of the third wave in Hungary – could it be true?

Source: ATV.hu