Wuhan closes makeshift hospital as new coronavirus cases in China drop sharply
The Chinese city at the center of the coronavirus epidemic closed its first makeshift hospital, one of 16 hurriedly built to handle the epidemic, after it
The Chinese city at the center of the coronavirus epidemic closed its first makeshift hospital, one of 16 hurriedly built to handle the epidemic, after it discharged the last recovered patients, state broadcaster CCTV reported on Monday.
News of the closure coincided with a sharp decline in new cases in Hubei province and the provincial capital Wuhan, but the country remained on alert as Chinese nationals returning home are testing positive for the virus.
China’s central Hubei province, the epicenter of the country’s coronavirus outbreak, reported less than 200 cases of new infections for the first time since January.
Hubei had 196 new confirmed cases on Sunday, the National Health Commission said on Monday, sharply down from 570 cases a day earlier and the lowest since Jan. 24.
The decline was driven by a fall in new cases in Wuhan, where the virus first appeared last December, which reported 193 new infections, the lowest since Jan. 26.
In line with the falling number of new infections, Wuhan closed its first makeshift hospital after it discharged the last batch of 34 recovered patients, CCTV reported.
As of Feb. 28, Wuhan has created 16 temporary hospitals, adding 13,000 beds, with 12,000 people treated so far. Overall, the number of Wuhan hospital beds have risen from 5,000 to 23,000.
