EU to fund transfer of Covid-19 patients between countries as strain on hospitals grows - FRANCE24

 The European Union will finance the transfer of patients across borders within the bloc to prevent hospitals from getting overwhelmed as Covid-19 infections and hospitalizations spike in the continent.

After a video conference of EU leaders to discuss the health crisis on Thursday, the head of the EU Commission Ursula von der Leyen said the EU executive had made available 220 million euros ($260 million) to move Covid-19 patients across borders.

“The spread of the virus will overwhelm our healthcare systems if we do not act urgently,” she said.

At the meeting leaders agreed to better coordinate efforts to battle the virus as infections in Europe exceeded 10 million, making the continent again the epicenter of the pandemic.