Moscow opens new coronavirus hospital built in just a month, as Russia braces for Covid-19 PEAK
Moscow’s brand-new infectious diseases hospital has admitted its first patients, despite construction having begun in mid-March. It comes as Russia recorded over 5,600 Covid-19 cases in a day, with the peak still approaching.
The 800-bed facility’s completion is a much-needed antidote to the country’s ever-worsening coronavirus crisis. As of Tuesday afternoon, Russia has 52,763 confirmed cases of Covid-19, and more than half of infections are in Moscow and the Moscow Region. With 5,642 cases nationwide confirmed in the last 24 hours, the opening of the hospital could not have been more timely – and, according to data mentioned by President Vladimir Putin on Monday, the worst is still to come.
The new hospital is capable of conducting more than 10,000 tests a day and includes a 1,300-capacity hostel to accommodate staff, according to Moscow’s government website.
“The center has purchased more than 26,000 units of medical equipment, furniture, and protective suits for personnel. Each bed can be converted into an intensive care unit if required.”
На 42 га построено больше 80 тысяч кв метров: медицинские и диагностические корпуса, реанимация, операционный блок, мельцеровские боксы, общежития для персонала и целый ряд вспомогательных зданий и сооружений. Больница на 800 коек готова принять первых пациентов уже в понедельник pic.twitter.com/1OcMOfplyE
— Сергей Собянин (@MosSobyanin) April 17, 2020
“In the last day, the hospital admitted 20 patients,” said Sergey Perekhodov, the new hospital’s chief doctor. “Today, more than 500 employees started working here, and we are continuing to recruit more specialists,” he explained. Eventually, the facility will employ over a thousand medical professionals.
The hospital will continue to operate after the Covid-19 crisis has gone, Moscow Mayor Sergey Sobyanin has said.
Also on rt.com Sign of hope or a matter of statistics? Russia sees major drop in new Covid-19 casesThe new facility, Demikhov City Clinical Hospital No. 68, is located in a village named Voronovskoye, in the region of the capital known as ‘New Moscow.’ In the last month, over 11,000 builders worked on its construction.
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