For years, politicians and health economists in Germany have complained that the country has too many hospitals. The coronavirus pandemic has turned this oversupply into an asset.
At the outset of the pandemic, Germany had 28,000 intensive care beds, more than most of its neighbouring countries. In recent days that has been raised to 40,000, as hospitals brace themselves for a huge influx of patients with Covid-19.
“In contrast to Spain, France and Italy, we have a very high density of hospitals and beds, and this has emerged as a big advantage in this crisis,” said Uwe Janssens, head of the German Interdisciplinary Association of Intensive Care and Emergency Medicine (DIVI).