Makeshift hospitals pop-up across the globe to handle surge in COVID-19 patients

Wuhan

Wuhan was the epicentre of the coronavirus pandemic, and it had to set up 16 makeshift hospitals to curb the surge in COVID-19 cases. 

On March 10 all these facilities were shut after the situation was stabilised in the city. 

(Photograph:AFP)

Spain

Dozens of coronavirus patients were moved Sunday to a makeshift field hospital set up at a Madrid conference centre to be fitted with 5,500 hospital beds, which would make it the biggest such facility in Europe.

(Photograph:AFP)

Iran

The Iranian government has converted the Iran Mall, the largest shopping Mall in the country, into a mobile cabin hospital to treat more patients being infected with COVID-19.

Around 250 beds have been installed in its vast indoor space area of 45,000 square meters. In the future, it is expected to have a total of 3,000 beds.

(Photograph:AFP)

Miami-Dade’s fairgrounds

Miami-Dade’s fairgrounds in Westchester will soon be a makeshift hospital, as medical facilities across the area have become overwhelmed with patients needing treatment for the novel coronavirus.

Miami-Dade's Office of Emergency Management asked to use the fairgrounds for a  250-bed temporary hospital.

(Photograph:AFP)

California

Over the last four days, the number of coronavirus patients have doubled, while the number of Intesive Care Unit (ICU) patients have tripled in California.

To tackle this sudden surge in demand, Newsom has reached out to retired doctors and nurses, alongside inducting students.

California, as part of its “California Health Corps” is inducting more staff into the state medical machinery. Almost 50,000 more hospital beds have been sanctioned.

(Photograph:AFP)

New York

To ease the pressure in New York, construction of a 68-bed field hospital began on Sunday in Manhattan's Central Park. The white tents being set up evoked a wartime feel in an island of green typically used by New Yorkers to exercise, picnic and enjoy the first signs of spring. The makeshift facility, provided by the Mount Sinai Health System and non-profit organization Samaritan's Purse, is expected to begin accepting patients on Tuesday, de Blasio said.

(Photograph:Reuters)

London

Britain's National Health Service has converted London's Excel Centre trade show venue into a massive hospital in response to the coronavirus outbreak. Sir Simon Stevens spoke as he visited the renamed Nightingale Hospital in east London, adding that the services provided by the facility would be "available later this week". Army members, NHS staff and Stevens applauded and thanked the NHS staff being trained to serve at the centre, which will have an eventual capacity of 4,000 beds.

(Photograph:Reuters)

India

India has decided to make use of trains that have been sitting idle due to a nationwide lockdown, they have converted train-berths into beds for coronavirus victims. 

India's vice president M Venkaiah Naidu lauded the move. 

(Photograph:Twitter)