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The Vancouver Convention Centre is being converted to act as a makeshift hospital as the province gears up to deal with a possible surge in cases of COVID-19.
Health Minister Adrian Dix said similar facilities were being established in all health authorities around the province.
A brand-new building at Royal Columbian Hospital in New Westminster, which was intended to go into service as a mental-health facility this spring,” is also being converted for use during the pandemic.
There will be 271 beds at the convention centre facility, and 80 at Royal Columbian Hospital.
1:41Coronavirus outbreak: New York’s Central Park converted into emergency field hospital for COVID-19 patients
Coronavirus outbreak: New York’s Central Park converted into emergency field hospital for COVID-19 patients
The temporary hospitals are intended to care for non-COVID-19 patients, freeing up space in B.C.’s acute care facilities to deal with an anticipated surge in hospitalizations.
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As of Monday, B.C. had 106 COVID-19 patients in hospital, 60 of them in intensive care.
The province has more than 4,200 empty hospital beds, after cancelling the majority of scheduled surgeries on the books and moving other patients to long-term care facilities.
“With 4,000-plus empty beds, we’re not going to be moving anyone [to the temporary hospitals] soon,” said Dix.
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