LVR clinic takes patients again Climax of the flu epidemic reached

Bonn · The flu wave has Bonn and region firmly in its grasp. Positive news came from the LVR clinic: The numbers of suspected cases of influenza have declined, since Friday, patients are being admitted again.

The stricter hygienic and organisational measures implemented as a reaction to the high numbers of influenza infections have apparently had an positive impact. „We are not over the hill yet, but the numbers of patients and staff with suspected flu cases has not risen any further“, according to the medical director of the clinic, Professor Markus Banger.And: „Apparently, all our decisions were important and necessary.“

In close alignment with the health departments in Bonn and Siegburg as well as the emergency services, the clinic prohibited all new psychiatric, child and adolescent psychiatric and neurological patients from being hospitalised, and visitors were discouraged from coming to the clinic. All group activities were cancelled, affected patients were treated in isolation. Pregnant and chronically ill staff members were immediately exempted from their duties.

„Despite the continuous high sickness rate we have managed through combined efforts to reestablish first reception capacities on Friday afternoon for publicly insured patients“, he said in a tone of relief. Children and Adolescents were still exempt from this though. „To keep the new reception department as free of influenza cases as possible, we are asking the coordination centre and emergency services to not deliver patients suffering presumably from strong flu symptoms to us“, Banger said. This was decided together with the health departments, he said.

This weekend, ten beds were made available for emergency cases. The responsible authorities in the clinic are planning to make ten more beds available from Monday. The district government has agreed to this procedure. „We are thanking the health departments, the university hospitals in Bonn and Cologne, the LVR clinics in Cologne and Düren, the Marienhospital Euskirchen as well as the psychiatric clinic Marienborn for their immense support“, adds Ludger Greulich, commercial director and CEO. „And our staff deserves a very special praise. In my knowledge we have never had a situation like this before.“

The clinic wants to set up a hotline in addition to the 20 beds to offer support to patients, emergency staff and health departments to arrange a faster clarification of free reception capacities at the surrounding clinics. „We are expecting the situation to relax during the coming week“, said Treulich optimistically.

ORIGINAL VERSION: Bernd Linnarz TRANSLATION: Mareike Graepel

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