Preparations are being wrapped up at a 300-bed makeshift hospital branch in the Ho Chi Minh City suburbs so that the facility will be ready for the treatment of novel coronavirus patients next week.

The municipal Department of Health previously announced the establishment of two branches of a makeshift hospital, which is estimated to cost US$11 million, to treat novel coronavirus patients when there is a sudden surge in the number of infections.  

The first branch is located at the military school of the city’s Military Command in Cu Chi District, around 30km to the northwest of the city center. It will boast 300 beds, including 20 intensive care beds.

The second branch is being constructed in Nha Be District, about 23km to the south of the city center. It will feature 200 beds, including at least 10 intensive care beds.

As the branch in Cu Chi is scheduled to be put into operation on Monday, many people and military officers have been mobilized to complete the final phases of the preparation.

The district’s power company has also tasked 50 employees with ensuring sufficient power supply for the infirmary.

According to Tang Chi Thuong, deputy director of the municipal health department, the hospital will operate its 100 beds in the first week.

The other 200 beds will be ready in the second week, Thuong elaborated.

The novel coronavirus, which first surfaced in the Chinese city of Wuhan in December 2019, has killed 813 people and infected more than 37,550 globally as of Sunday.

Vietnam has so far confirmed 13 cases of the virus, including ten Vietnamese, one Vietnamese American, and two Chinese.

Among them, one Chinese and two Vietnamese had fully recovered and been discharged from the hospital as of Thursday. They were all treated for free.

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