Covid: Portugal, the health system close to collapse

(ANSA) - ROME, JANUARY 16 - The health system in Portugal is close to collapse, as shown by the data of the intensive care units, on the day in which the country recorded the record of infections and victims in the last 24 hours.

Portuguese hospitals can accommodate a maximum of 672 Covid intensive care patients, according to data from the Ministry of Health reported by the Guardian.

There are currently 638 people in intensive care and according to the Portuguese association of hospital administrators the number of hospitalizations could increase significantly in the next week.

    Local hospitals, by the way, before the pandemic had the lowest number of ICU beds per 100,000 inhabitants in Europe.

Today Portugal, just returned to lockdown, recorded almost 11 thousand new infections and 166 deaths in the last 24 hours.

In total, the infected are 540 thousand (out of 10 million inhabitants) and the victims have risen to 8,709.

   (HANDLE).