China’s provinces should set up at least two to three temporary hospitals each to treat COVID-19 patients, Beijing said Tuesday, a potential sign the country is anticipating an increase in cases as it battles an omicron outbreak and ponders how to exit its isolationist virus strategy.
The order from the National Health Commission came after China updated its COVID-19 treatment guidelines last week to reserve actual hospitals for those with severe COVID-19 conditions. Patients with mild or no symptoms will now be sent to the makeshift facilities to isolate so as to avoid overwhelming the medical system.
China still isolates all cases, regardless of severity, as part of its "COVID zero" policy — an approach that has kept deaths low but is now being challenged as more contagious variants emerge and the rest of the world opens up. The country has 31 provinces and territories, meaning at least 62 temporary sites could be constructed, a mammoth undertaking.