China is racing against the clock.
A deadly virus that originated in the city of Wuhan is spreading all over the world.
In China alone, over 7,700 people have contracted the disease and 170 have died from it, at the time of writing.
As a result, hospitals are overwhelmed with patients, leading to a shortage of beds and medical staff.
That’s why, a week ago, it was reported that the country was building a new 1,000-bed hospital to treat victims of the novel coronavirus.
At the time, it sounded like a huge, laborious task, but they’ve somehow managed to do it in two days.
Wuhan Manages to ‘Build’ a 1,000-Bed Coronavirus Hospital After Just 2 Days of Work
China has opened the first dedicated coronavirus hospital in a city near Wuhan after workers and volunteers worked tirelessly for two days converting an empty building into an emergency facility.
According to The Mirror, it was originally set to open in May, but with the rapid spread of the disease, authorities worked to complete it immediately.
It now has 1,000 beds and the first batch of coronavirus patients were transferred on Tuesday (28 Jan).
I can’t even complete some of my articles in two days, so this is quite a feat.
Located in Huanggang, the Dabie Mountain Regional Medical Centre also has water, electricity, and internet.
It was built to relieve some of the pressure on doctors and nurses in Hubei province – the centre of the outbreak.
In case you don’t know, Huanggang is located 75 km south-west of Wuhan. It has a population of around 7.5million and is one of the cities hit hardest by the coronavirus , reported Daily Mail.
That’s why more than 500 workers and a dozen heavy vehicles toiled for two days and nights in order to complete the task on time.
Just like Wuhan and other Chinese cities, Huanggang went into lockdown to stem the spread of the deadly disease.
Four Other Hospitals to be Built
According to the Metro, four similar hospitals are being built in super-quick time using pre-fabricated buildings.
These constructions are apparently modelled on a medical centre built in Beijing in 2003 in seven days to tackle SARS.
Two such hospitals will be built in Wuhan to treat a total of 2,300 coronavirus patients. The first facility, a 1,000-bed medical centre in Wuhan’s Caidian District, is expected to be completed in a week and receive its first patients on February 3.
The second hospital in Wuhan will be in Jiangxia District and will have a total of 1,500 beds.
Around 2,000 medical workers are expected to treat patients in these centres.
Spread all over the World
Experts worry that the new virus may spread more easily than originally thought, or may have mutated into a form that does so.
Just yesterday, authorities in Singapore confirmed 3 new coronavirus cases, bringing the total to 10.
At the time of writing, test results for about 70 suspected cases were pending. All 10 cases of the Wuhan virus here are Chinese nationals, but that doesn’t mean we shouldn’t be extra cautious, because anything can happen.
Here are some things you can do to help contain the spread of the disease:
- Avoid contact with live animals including poultry and birds, and consumption of raw and undercooked meats;
- Avoid close contact with people who are unwell or showing symptoms of illness;
- Observe good personal hygiene;
- Practise frequent hand washing with soap (e.g. before handling food or eating, after going to toilet, or when hands are dirtied by respiratory secretions after coughing or sneezing);
- Wear a mask if you have respiratory symptoms such as a cough or shortness of breath;
- Cover your mouth with a tissue paper when coughing or sneezing, and dispose the soiled tissue paper in the rubbish bin immediately; and
- Seek medical attention promptly if you are feeling unwell.
