Chinese premier orders speeding up hospital construction to treat viral pneumonia patients

Chinese Premier Li Keqiang on Monday called for speeding up the construction of a makeshift hospital for treating patients infected with the novel coronavirus in his inspection to Wuhan, the hardest-hit city of the epidemic.

Li, also a member of the Standing Committee of the Political Bureau of the Communist Party of China (CPC) Central Committee and head of a leading group of the CPC Central Committee on the prevention and control of the novel coronavirus outbreak, made the remarks at the construction site of Huoshenshan Hospital.

Li urged the workers to race against time to finish building the hospital as a "safety island" for the patients.

"We must use every possible means to admit all the patients (into the hospital)," Li said.

He also urged efforts to protect the construction workers against infection.

Wuhan is building two makeshift hospitals -- Huoshenshan with 700 to 1,000 beds and Leishenshan with a capacity of 1,300 to 1,500 beds -- to treat pneumonia patients infected with the novel coronavirus. The two facilities are expected to be put into use on Feb. 3 and Feb. 5, respectively.