Table 1.
Pre-pandemic hospital capacity, ICU capacity and ICU surge capacity during the first COVID-19 wave.
| Country/region | Acute care bed capacity prior to COVID-19 [16] |
ICU bed capacity prior to COVID-19 |
ICU bed surge capacity during the first COVID-19 wave |
Change of ICU bed capacity (in%) | |||||
| in total | per 100,000 | year | in total | per 100,000 | year | in total | per 100,000 | per 100,000 | |
| Austria | 47,276 | 535 | 2018 | 2547a | 28.9 [17] | 2018 | n/a | n/a | n/a |
| Belgium | 56,758 | 497 | 2018 | 1993a | 17.4 [17] | 2019 | ca. 2750 (early April)a | 24 [18] | 38% |
| Denmark | 13,659 | 236 | 2018 | 1078b | 18.6c | 2020 | 1242 (925 for patients with COVID-19) [21] | 21.4c | 15% |
| Estonia | 4444 | 336 | 2018 | 199a | 15.0 [17] | 2019 | 130 for patients with COVID-19d[18] | n/a | n/a |
| Finland | 15,667 | 284 | 2018 | 300a | 5.4 [17] | 2019 | n/a | n/a | n/a |
| France | 203,662 | 304 | 2018 | 10,882a | 16.3 [17]j | 2018 | n/a | n/a | n/a |
| Germany | 497,182 | 602 | 2018 | 27,463 [20]g | 33.4c | 2018 | 32,824 (early June) [22]h | 39.5c | 18% |
| Greece | 39,011 | 363 | 2018 | 565a | 5.3 [17] | 2019 | 1017 (350 for patients with COVID-19, end of April) [18] | 9.5c | 79% |
| Ireland | 13,560 | 279 | 2018 | 250a | 5.0 [17] | 2016 | 489 (end of May)/up to 800 [[23], [24] | 10.0/16.3c | 100/ 226% |
| Italy | 156,216 | 259 | 2018 | 5200a | 8.6 [17] | 2020 | 8550 [25] | 14.0c | 63% |
| Lombardy | 34,756 [26] | 346 [26] | 2018 | 724 [27] | 7.2c | 2019 | 1,347e[18] | 13.4c | 86% |
| Luxembourg | 2251 | 370 | 2018 | n/a | n/a | n/a | n/a | n/a | n/a |
| Netherlands | 46,323 | 269 | 2018 | 1150a | 6.7 [17] | 2018 | 2400 (1 900 for patients with COVID-19) [28] | 13.9 | 107% |
| Norway | 16,646 | 313 | 2018 | 450 | 8.5 [17] | 2018 | up to 925 (or even 1,200f) [18] | 17.4c (22.5c) | 105% |
| Portugal | 33,850 | 329 | 2018 | 587 [18]i | 5.7c | n/a | n/a | n/a | n/a |
| Sweden | 20,019 | 197 | 2018 | 526 [18] | 5.0c | 2020 | 1064 (mid-April) [18] | 10.4c | 108% |
| UK | n/a | n/a | n/a | n/a | n/a | n/a | n/a | n/a | n/a |
Notes: a: own calculation based on ICU beds prior to COVID-19 per 100,000; b: including 645 ICU beds with ventilators usually reserved for patients with elective surgery; c: own calculation based on ICU beds prior to COVID-19 in total; d: we were unable to determine whether these beds were created additionally or reserved for patients with COVID-19; e: calculation based on information from HSRM that ICU bed capacity increased by 86%; f: on April 15th, the Regional Health Authorities provided detailed contingency plans on how to increase the ICU capacity to 1200 beds, but underlined that such a capacity can only be sustained for a short period of time; g: includes high-care and low-care ICU beds (for adults and children) but excludes post-surgery recovery beds; h: includes high-care and low-care ICU beds (for adults and children); i: includes general level 3 ICU beds for adults and children; j: includes resuscitation beds (lits de réanimation adulte) (except severe burns) and intensive care beds (lits de soins intensifs) (except neonatology) but excludes surveillance beds for adults and children (lits de surveillance) and resuscitation beds for children (lits de réanimation enfants).