LISBON, Portugal (AP) – The new daily COVID-19 cases in Portugal jumped to more than 14,600 to set a new national record on Wednesday as the country defends one of the worst pandemic trainings in the world.
Health authorities have officially reported 14,647 new infections – about 3,600 more than the previous daily record set four days ago.
The boom shows no sign of easing, and government and health experts predict it will peak next week.
The number of COVID-19 patients in hospital and in intensive care has also risen to new record highs, with 5,493 and 681, respectively.
“The seriousness of the situation is clear for all to see,” Health Minister Marta Temido told reporters.
The public and private health sectors and the military are all working together to meet needs, she said, but said “resources are finite.”
The pandemic has gained momentum in Portugal since Christmas, when restrictions on rallies and movement for four days were eased.
Portugal has the highest seven-day average percentage in the world of new cases per 100,000 inhabitants and the second highest percentage of new deaths, according to data collected up to and including Tuesday by Johns Hopkins University.
Overall, the country with 10.3 million people has 581,605 confirmed cases and 9,465 confirmed deaths.
In another concern for Portuguese authorities, a study by the country’s leading disease control agency said that a new variant of the virus first identified in south-east England, within two weeks 60% of the new COVID-19 cases in Portugal.
The study by the Dr. Ricardo Jorge National Institute of Health, based on data collected since December 1, was published Tuesday.
The boom pushes the public health system, especially hospitals, to the limit of its capacity, and the government scrambles to keep up.
Assistant Secretary of State for Health António Lacerda Sales said the system was in full swing.
“We are doing everything in our power to increase the system’s capacity,” he told reporters.
A 58-bed field hospital would open later Wednesday in the capital on the grounds of the Lisbon University campus.
To further alleviate the pressure on hospitals, authorities are opening more temporary medical facilities at sites outside the health sector.
The government said on Wednesday that facilities at hotels, university residences and church premises will soon have 2,300 beds where patients can be supervised.
Meanwhile, authorities have launched a program of rapid COVID-19 tests at schools in the worst-hit areas amid a severe increase in cases.
Portugal is locked up, but the government is reluctant to close schools. It says that there are children who do not get proper meals, who have no computer, have no access to the internet and who do not have their own room at home and get no help with their studies.
However, some teachers are dissatisfied with the policy and insist that the national school close.
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