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Düsseldorf (dpa / lnw) - Despite the increasing number of corona patients, there are currently enough free intensive care beds with ventilation technology available in North Rhine-Westphalia, according to the Ministry of Health.

As of Friday there were over 510, said a spokesman for the ministry on Saturday.

Nevertheless, it is still important to be vigilant: "We have to make sure that the number of infected people does not rise too much so that we have sufficient free capacity in intensive care beds in the future," he emphasized.

The use of intensive care and ventilation capacities for the care of corona patients has increased in North Rhine-Westphalia in the past two weeks, the spokesman explained.

The hospitals have therefore already been asked to pay particular attention to the necessary reserve capacities when managing their plannable occupancy and, if necessary, to reactivate intensive capacities that are currently not being operated.

North Rhine-Westphalia's largest city, Cologne, sounded the alarm on Friday due to increasing numbers in the intensive care units.

The Cologne hospitals and clinics are faced with a threatening situation in the intensive care units, the city said.

The number of patients there is increasing dynamically.

For this reason, the easing measures that were made were withdrawn.

All Cologne museums and the zoo will have to be closed again from Monday.

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In addition, North Rhine-Westphalia’s only megacity expects further measures from the state in the short term.

"As a city, we have almost exhausted our options for action with today's decisions," said the head of the crisis team, Andrea Blome.

The state is also in demand here because the current situation does not only affect Cologne alone.

“We are already accepting patients from other districts and cities in Cologne.

Therefore, nationwide action is urgently needed here.

Time is running out."

The Ministry of Health first referred to the basic regulation of the corona emergency brake when the threshold of 100 new infections per 100,000 inhabitants is exceeded within seven days.

The NRW Ministry of Health is available to affected districts and cities for the conception of a general decree with possible further protective measures, not only for granting the necessary consent, but also in an advisory capacity.

© dpa-infocom, dpa: 210410-99-151578 / 2