China targets mild coronavirus cases with new Wuhan medical shelters
- Teams from throughout the country to be deployed to cut the number of patients reaching severe stage of illness
- Three centres in the works and eight more to come, according to official media
Authorities are planning to build eight more of the temporary medical facilities and are mobilising medical teams and equipment reserved for emergencies in 20 provinces to go to Wuhan to staff the centres, according to official media.
These provincial medical teams, or “mobile healthcare modules”, are medical reserve personnel in each province for emergencies such as natural disasters. Each is equipped with medics, X-ray vehicles, outpatient clinics, and other mobile equipment.
Jiao Yahui, deputy director of the National Health Commission’s Medical Administration Bureau, said the government was hoping that by isolating patients and suspected cases with mild symptoms, the spread of the illness would decline.
“By isolating and treating contagious patients in centralised areas, it can greatly reduce the risk of spread the disease in the community,” Jiao said.