First group of COVID-19 cases discharged from Expo Center site
People discharged from the makeshift hospital at the Shanghai World Expo Exhibition & Convention Center board a bus on Sunday.
Some 100 people who were positive to COVID-19 were discharged from the makeshift hospital at the Shanghai World Expo Exhibition & Convention Center on Sunday.
They are the first group of people to be discharged from the colossal convention center after it was converted into a new central quarantine site for mild symptoms and asymptomatic infections on March 26.
The discharged people are mainly from H2 and H4 sections, according to Renji Hospital, which is in charge of H2.
Upon leaving the hospital, each person received a "discharge certificate" and flowers prepared by medics.
"Medics at the hospital take good care of all the patients," said a patient surnamed Zhao, who was the first to walk out of the hospital. "I am very grateful to them."
Currently, five medical teams with 910 medics are serving at the makeshift hospital, which has more than 7,000 patients.
The Shanghai Children's Medical Center, which takes care of child patients between 4 and 18 years old at the Expo Center, celebrated the first discharged child patient on Sunday.
The 13-year-old boy said goodbye to medics with smile.
According to hospital officials, most child patients stay at the makeshift hospital with their family members for their mental well-being. Only a few minors with good ability of self-management stay at the hospital alone, with medics giving special care and support, officials said.
The 13-year-old boy poses with medics before leaving the makeshift hospital on Sunday.
According to Dr Jiang Handong, director of Renji Hospital's respiratory disease department, the criteria of discharge includes two continuous negative nucleic acid tests within at least 24-hour intervals, and no fever for continuous three days with significant improvement of respiratory symptoms.
Zheng Junhua, Party secretary of Renji Hospital and head of the Expo Center hospital, said the current dominant Omicron's BA.2 sub-variant is highly contagious.
"But we have confidence," he said. "The makeshift hospital, which takes mild cases and asymptomatic infections, can not only provide medical treatment but also protect their families and friends from being infected. Most mild and asymptomatic cases can recover within seven to 10 days. Local residents shouldn't panic."
At the same time, a medical team from Shanghai Yueyang Hospital of Integrated Traditional Chinese and Western Medicine spent the whole night from 8pm on Saturday to assist nearly 1,000 patients after the N1 section of the makeshift hospital at the Shanghai New International Expo Center was put into use.
The site, which opened on Thursday night, has up to 15,000 beds for people with mild COVID-19 symptoms and asymptomatic infections.
Since Saturday, half of the hospital has been open for patients, while the other half is undergoing final preparation.
Medics said they started to wait outside to guide patients at 7:30pm.
"It was very cold at night," said Dr Zhao Qing, leader of Yueyang's medical team. "We tried our best to classify patients and guide them into the hospital in time."
The hospital has classified the N1 section into three types. A "disease section" for those with underlying diseases and symptoms is allocated to beds close to nurses' working stations; a "normal section" for ordinary patients; and family section is which family members, friends and relatives arranged in nearby beds.
The patients recruiting process was completed at noon on Sunday.
"I am very proud of my team members, who have a great heart to serve patients," Zhao said. "It is cold in the air but it is warm in the heart."
A medic from Yueyang Hospital's medical team guides patients on arrival.
A medic registers a patient's information.
