Virus: New infection control center with 800 beds in HK ready

By Chen Zimo | chinadaily.com.cn | Updated: 2021-01-20 21:05

This Jan 20, 2021 photo shows the ward facilities at the North Lantau Hospital Hong Kong Infection Control Centre in Hong Kong. [PHOTO/INFORMATION SERVICES DEPARTMENT, HKSAR GOVT]

A new 800-bed temporary hospital built by the central government was handed over to Hong Kong on Wednesday, significantly boosting the city's defense against the coronavirus.

The hospital – North Lantau Hospital Hong Kong Infection Control Centre – is one of the major projects that the central government aided the city in its fight against the virus.

The construction, which normally would take three to four years, was completed in four months with a joint effort by the Guangdong Provincial Government and the Shenzhen Municipal Government and cutting-edge construction methods.

According to a report by China Central Television, the hospital consists of six ward buildings, a medical center, and supporting facilities. Intotal it provides 136 wards, comprising 816 negative pressure beds, which are designed for patients with infectious diseases.

This photo shows a negative pressure ward in the hospital at the North Lantau Hospital Hong Kong Infection Control Centre in Hong Kong on Jan 20, 2021. [PHOTO/INFORMATION SERVICES DEPARTMENT, HKSAR GOVT]

By December, there were 1,241 negative pressure beds in the city.

In early October, the AsiaWorld-Expo Community Treatment Centre with over 1,000 beds - another project which the central government assisted with – was put into use.

By the end of Monday, Hong Kong's tally of confirmed cases rose to 9,720.

Hong Kong's Chief Executive Carrie Lam Cheng Yuet-ngor (second right), Secretary for Development Michael Wong Wai-lun (first left) and Secretary for Food and Health Sophia Chan Siu-chee (second left) learn about the facilities at a laboratory at North Lantau Hospital Hong Kong Infection Control Centre, Jan 20, 2021. [PHOTO/INFORMATION SERVICES DEPARTMENT, HKSAR GOVT]

Hong Kong officials led by Chief Executive Carrie Lam Cheng Yuet-ngor on Wednesday attended the hospital completion ceremony in Hong Kong. In visiting the hospital, Lam thanked the construction team's efforts to make this possible.

Deputy Director of the Hong Kong and Macao Affairs Office of the State Council Huang Liuquan, Governor of Guangdong Ma Xingrui, Party Secretary of Shenzhen Wang Weizhong also attended the ceremony via online video conferencing.