Nearly Half of Portugal’s COVID-19 Deaths Were in January

Nearly Half of Portugal’s COVID-19 Deaths Were in January
A patient is carried to the COVID-19 Intensive Care Unit (ICU) of Cascais Hospital in Cascais, Portugal, on Jan. 27, 2021. Pedro Nunes/Reuters
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LISBON—Portugal reported close to half of all its COVID-19 deaths in January, highlighting a severe acceleration in cases that has prompted several European nations to offer help.

Hospitals across the nation of a little more than 10 million appear on the verge of collapse, with ambulances sometimes queuing for hours because of a lack of beds while some health units are struggling to find enough refrigerated space to preserve the bodies of the deceased.