COVID-19: Makeshift hospitals, morgues become common in cities worldwide amid outbreak
Cities worldwide are being flooded with COVID-19 patients and are transforming buildings, streets and even convention centres into makeshift hospitals and morgues.
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Makeshift hospitals and morgues are being built in cities worldwide as coronavirus deaths surge and infections surpass one million.
Convention centres, once used for exhibits and events, are now lined with beds in preparation of the infection’s peak.
Refrigerated trailers and tents are also starting to occupy space outside of hospitals, like some in New York, in a bid to make morgue space for those who have died from the disease.
In Instanbul, a major city in Turkey with a population of about 15 million, coffins of people who have succumbed from COVID-19 are being laid on the street for relatives to view.
Turkey recorded on Thursday a total of 356 deaths and 18,135 infections.
In Madrid, Spain, the Palacio de Hielo ice rink was temporarily converted into a morgue in March to house the hundreds of bodies of COVID-19 victims.
The ‘Ciudad de la Justicia’, a building known as ‘El Donut’ for its unusual shape, has also been converted into a temporary morgue in the Valdebebas district in the north of Madrid.
The building was intended to house the Anatomic Forensics Institute; however only one of the 12 projected structures have been completed.
It is a similar sight in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, where the city has transformed the Maracana Complex – which includes a world famous soccer stadium – into a temporary hospital with a capacity for 200 beds.
Berlin, Germany’s capital, has also been preparing a fairground for a makeshift hospital, called Corona treatment center Jaffestrasse, to treat COVID-19 patients.
There have been 872 deaths in Germany and 73,522 infections, as reported on Friday.
In Vietnam, makeshift rapid testing centres are available for the public to access, where workers take blood samples for testing.
In Iran, a makeshift hospital has been set up inside a mall, in a bid to cope with the confirmed coronavirus cases coming through.
It is a similar consideration for the Melbourne Convention Centre on home soil, which would be used to treat COVID-19 patients if hospitals become overrun.
In Mullhouse, eastern France, the military have created a makeshift hospital for medical workers treating COVID-19 patients.
It was an effort seen in China earlier this year, where halls were transformed to accommodate people suffering mild symptoms of COVID-19.
In Otopeni, Romania, makeshift morgue containers are being used on the site of hospitals.
The country has been under severe quarantine since Monday, with 2738 confirmed cases of COVID-19.
In the UK, temporary mortuary is being constructed at Manor Park in East London as part of the government’s plan to cope with the COVID-19 pandemic.
London’s ExCeL centre has been into a temporary hospital for coronavirus patients, and outside tents – along the streets and in view of the public – are being used as temporary morgues.
