German medical workers help hard-hit Portugal

Dr. Ulrich Baumgaertner, the head of the militarys medical service, said the team will help at a civilian hospital in Lisbon.Baumgaertner told reporters before the teams departure Its clear that significantly more capacity is probably needed there, but we can only give small, but we hope important, help from the limited resources we have. He said the team is also taking material such as ventilators.Portuguese hospitals are under intense pressure because of a surge that has given the small country one of Europes highest infection rates.

A German military medical team is heading to Portugal to help that country deal with a spike in coronavirus cases.

The team of 26 doctors and nurses was flying to Portugal Wednesday from Wunstorf, in northern Germany. Dr. Ulrich Baumgaertner, the head of the military's medical service, said the team will help at a civilian hospital in Lisbon.

Baumgaertner told reporters before the team's departure: ''It's clear that significantly more capacity is probably needed there, but we can only give small, but we hope important, help from the limited resources we have.'' He said the team is also taking material such as ventilators.

Portuguese hospitals are under intense pressure because of a surge that has given the small country one of Europe's highest infection rates. The country has seen over 13,000 deaths in the pandemic.