Hong Kong adding new medical facilities against possible winter outbreak of COVID-19

HONG KONG -- With the central government's support, Hong Kong is building a makeshift hospital and adding new treatment facilities in AsiaWorld-Expo (AWE) in case a new wave of the COVID-19 epidemic breaks out in winter.

Michael Wong, secretary for development of the government of China's Hong Kong Special Administrative Region, said on Sunday that the construction starting Sept 19 has progressed smoothly and predicted the treatment facilities expansion project in AWE will be completed in four weeks.

In an online article, Wong said the new AWE treatment facilities can provide nearly 1,000 hospital beds, including 160 beds in negative pressure wards.

The makeshift hospital adjacent to AWE will be built in four months and will have negative pressure wards able to hold more than 800 beds, Wong said.

With the new anti-epidemic projects, the pressure on public hospitals will be significantly reduced in case there is a new wave of outbreak, Tony Ko, chief executive of Hong Kong's Hospital Authority, has said.

The construction is also supported by the governments of Guangdong province and its Shenzhen city and the costs will be paid by the mainland authorities, according to Wong.