Providing health services effectively during the first wave of COVID-19: A cross-country comparison on planning services, managing cases, and maintaining essential services

A country-level analysis comparing hospital capacity and utilisation during the first COVID-19 wave across Europe

“…Many hospitals in other European regions (e.g., the Dutch region of Brabant and Grand Est in France) were also overwhelmed with the influx of patients with COVID-19 and transferred critically ill patients to other hospitals across the country or even neighbouring countries to free up capacity [3] . Throughout Europe, hospitals were required to postpone elective treatments to free up hospital beds and to add beds to ICUs equipped with ventilators while maintaining essential services such as urgent consultations, necessary treatments (e.g., chemotherapy, dialysis), maternal services, and rehabilitation [4] , [5] .…”

How resilient is health financing policy in Europe to economic shocks? Evidence from the first year of the COVID-19 pandemic and the 2008 global financial crisis

“…Estimates indicate that in 2020 the additional funds allocated to health systems were highest in the region's high-income countries in absolute terms, but highest in middle-income countries in proportional terms, ranging from around 8% of the 2018 health budget in high-income countries to 13% in upper middle-income countries and 23% in lower middle-income countries [46] . Given widespread disruption in the delivery of non-COVID-19 health services in 2020 and 2021, however [ 41 , 43 ], the effect of extra funds on public spending on health is likely to be lower than these estimates.…”

“…On the expenditure side, countries may need to spend significantly more on health in the medium term to meet multiple challenges arising from the pandemic: treating COVID-19 and post-COVID-19 conditions [32] ; mass vaccination, with booster shots, to prevent further spread and reduce disease severity; widespread disruption in the delivery of non-COVID-19 health services in 2020 and 2021, resulting in a backlog [ 41 , 43 ]; the impact of delayed or foregone care [ 24 , 44 ]; growing mental health problems in the general population and among the health and social care workforce [29] ; and an increase in socioeconomic inequalities [2] .…”

Attitudes and Intentions toward COVID-19 Vaccination among Spanish Adults: A Descriptive Cross-Sectional Study

“…The effectiveness of personal protective measures has been a controversial subject over the course of the pandemic. Even though the Spanish political health authorities initially advised against wearing a mask [72], as reported by traditional communication media [73], subsequent recommendations were very different in various countries [74][75][76][77][78], which may have led to doubts regarding the true usefulness of such measures [79].…”