China To Build A Hospital In 10 Days To Curb Spread Of Virus

In an attempt to nip the spread of the coronavirus in the bud, China has made plans to build a hospital in 10 days to treat affected citizens. The coronavirus has seen hundreds of people contracting the virus, according to a report by the state media.

The hospital will be built in the city of Wuhan and is expected to begin operations on 3 February to aid the treatment of infected patients. The virus has killed over 26 people and millions of Chinese citizens' movements have been restricted.

A CCTV video showed excavators and trucks on site of the proposed hospital that is expected to have a 1000-bed capacity on a land measuring 25,000 square meters.

After reports regarding the shortage of bed spaces in hospitals that are rallying to deal with the outbreak of the virus that has infected over 830 people across the country, construction of the new hospital was set in motion.

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Xinhua, a news outlet in China stated that the new hospital will be created to checkmate "the shortage of medical treatment resources and improving the ability to care for patients."

This will not be China's foray into the establishment of a hospital with such urgency. During the outbreak of the Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome (SARS) in 2003, a hospital was built in Beijing's rural outskirts in just a week to curb the spread of the outbreak that took the lives of 349 people in mainland China, and in Hong Kong, it took 299 lives.

Officials speculate that the spread might have been from wild animals present at a seafood market in the city of Wuhan but has seen a quick spread into other cities and countries in the Asian region and beyond.

With the Chinese government and other governments working to reduce the spread of the virus, there has been limitations to movements and critical screenings at major airports.