LISBON, Portugal — A sharp coronavirus surge in Portugal in January is showing signs of slowing down but the high number of hospitalizations continue to strain a health system already operating beyond capacity.

Portuguese authorities reported Monday 5,805 new cases —an improvement from the record figures of over 16,000 just over a week ago— and 275 more deaths for COVID-19. That brought the pandemic’s total tallies to 726,000 confirmed infections and more than 12,700 fatalities.

The southern European country continues to top the global charts with the worst 7-day rolling average of new daily infections and fatalities per 100,000 residents, according to data compiled by Johns Hopkins University.

Nearly 6,900 people are hospitalized with COVID-19, 865 of them in intensive care wards according to health authorities.

Spanish public broadcaster TVE showed Monday long lines of trucks and other vehicles spanning several kilometers (miles) as authorities enforced a two-week ban on all non-essential travel across the shared land border.

Portugal has also been in a strict lockdown for more than a week.