Portuguese Prime Minister, Antonio Costa, on Friday thanked the German military medical team who came to Portugal to work for six weeks and helped the country fight against COVID-19.

`It was a magnificent gesture of European solidarity. Thank you very much,’’ the prime minister wrote on Twitter, with gratitude marking the end of the mission that starts on Feb. 6.

Portuguese Assistant Secretary of State for Health, Antonio Lacerda Sales also thanked the German team and promised that, if Germany needs it, “Portugal will be present.’’

“In this global world, we all need everyone. This is faithful proof of the possible and desirable collaboration between European countries,’’ Lacerda Sales said in a farewell speech at Figo Maduro airport in Lisbon.

The German aid came as requested by the Portuguese Minister of Health, Marta Temido, to German Defence Minister Annegret Kramp-Karrenbauer at the end of January.

In addition to dozens of health professionals, the German military brought oxygen ventilators, infusion pumps, and hospital beds to reinforce treatment for COVID-19 patients in Portugal.

As the world is struggling to contain the pandemic, vaccination is underway in an increasing number of countries with the already-authorised coronavirus vaccines.

Meanwhile, 267 candidate vaccines are still being developed globally, 83 of them in clinical trials in countries including Germany, China, Russia, Britain and the United States, according to information released by the World Health Organisation on March 23.