Germany to decide on help to fight new coronavirus
Germany is to decide this week on the support to be sent to Portugal to help in the fight against Covid-19 after an exploratory mission to the country.
Germany’s Ministry of Defence is to decide early this week on the support to be sent to Portugal to help in the fight against Covid-19 after an exploratory mission to the country has been completed, an official source said.
According to the Ministry of Defence source, in statements to Lusa on Sunday, the results are being evaluated after the return of the German exploratory team, with the first conclusions expected at the beginning of the week.
Reuters added on its official website that Germany will send staff and medical equipment, information which will have been confirmed by Angela Merkel’s government.
In this Sunday’s edition, ‘Der Spiegel’ said that due to the catastrophic situation in Portugal, the ‘Bundeswehr’ (German Armed Forces) will send aid flights with personnel and medical equipment to Portugal at the beginning of the week.
According to information gathered by the German publication, which does not cite any source, a team of 27 doctors and paramedics will be sent in military transport to help overburdened hospitals.
“The emergency team will initially stay in Portugal for three weeks,” he said.
“In addition, the ‘Bundeswehr’ will also send medical supplies to the country next week. Beds for patients, as well as fixed and mobile ventilators, are to be transported in cargo planes, as they are urgently needed for patients with Covid-19,” it added.
Der Spiegel also stressed that experts from the German Armed Forces consider the situation in Portugal dramatic.
A source from the German defence ministry told Lusa that all decisions would be taken in close cooperation between the governments of the two countries.
Asked about aid from Germany, the Portuguese Ministry of Health stressed to Lusa that all the hypotheses are being considered to continue providing health care to the Portuguese.
“In an external support framework, European cooperation mechanisms are obviously a possibility, depending on developments,” said Minister Marta Temido’s office.
The Covid-19 pandemic has caused at least 2,219,793 deaths as a result of more than 102.5 million cases of infection worldwide, according to a report by the French agency AFP.
In Portugal, 12,482 people have died out of 720,516 confirmed cases of infection, according to the most recent bulletin of the country’s national health authority DGS.
