Portugal Emergency COVID-19, Ambulance Queues Contagious At Hospital

Illustration. (Jakayla Toney / Unsplash)

JAKARTA - Portugal is in the phase of a terrible corona virus pandemic. Portuguese Prime Minister Antonio Costa to warn, it will take several weeks to overcome this condition. And, he hopes for limited assistance from abroad.

With a total of 668,951 confirmed cases of COVID-19 infection and 11,305 deaths, including a record 293 deaths as of Wednesday. Portugal has the world's highest weekly averages for new daily cases and deaths per million population.

The situation isn't bad, (but) it's bad. There is no point in giving the illusion that we are not facing the worst moment. We will have this worst moment for a few more weeks, that's for sure, "Prime Minister Costa told broadcaster TVI, as reported by Reuters.

More than 20 ambulances with COVID-19 lined up outside Portugal's largest hospital on Wednesday evening local time, as they waited for beds to become available. Meanwhile doctors at other hospitals warned about the risk of a collapse of the oxygen support system.

Costa admits that the current situation cannot be separated from the relaxation of restrictions imposed by the Government during Christmas and New Year. But, there is also a contribution from the ferocity of the new variant of the corona virus from England.

Regarding the situation in Portugal, Germany has sent military medical experts to Portugal to see what assistance can be given to Portugal.

Costa admits that his country needs the help of doctors and nurses. Meanwhile, for ventilators, according to him, Portugal has enough ventilators.

"In everything Portugal asked for, unfortunately they do not have availability, namely doctors, nurses. They have ventilators, but at the moment we don't need them because we have enough, "he concluded.