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Europe Braces for Surge in Covid Patients to Hit Hospitals Soon

Low numbers of sick have fueled opposition to tougher curbs
‘We’re entering a race against time,’ Paris health chief says

Covid-19 patients in an intensive care unit of Lyon Croix-Rousse hospital, in Lyon, France on Sept. 15 — Covid-19 patients in an intensive care unit of Lyon Croix-Rousse hospital, in Lyon, France on Sept. 15
Photographer: Jeff Pachoud/AFP via Getty Images

By

Rudy Ruitenberg and

October 13, 2020, 4:00 AM UTC

Europe’s hospitals have largely coped with the region’s reemergence as a coronavirus hot spot, but pressure is expected to grow as cases surge.

Authorities are imploring pandemic-weary citizens to knuckle down on hygiene and distancing rules over concern that health-care resources are set to get stretched. There’s already been a steady uptick in hospitalizations that could quickly spike the way it did in the spring.