China’s speedy construction of specialized hospitals to treat novel coronavirus-infected patients is a remarkable act of solidarity and clearly demonstrates the determination of the Chinese government to protect its people’s health,said Dr. Michael Ryan, Executive Director of WHO Health Emergencies Program, when answering questions from Xinhua News Agency at a press briefing on 5 February.

China completed a specialized hospital within 10 days and turned several venues into mobile hospitals. Ryan described this as “a major undertaking” and praised that “it is certainly impressive what has been achieved in a very short number of days in China”. He pointed out that the newly-built hospitals will not only provide place for patients to be treated properly, but also protect their communities from potential transmission.

Ryan said that the hospitals will be staffed by Chinese doctors and nurses from other parts of China. “This is an act of remarkable solidarity within China and between the provinces,and clearly demonstrates the government’s determination to do everything humanly possible to put the health of its own population above any other consideration,” he added.

Ryan also said that a WHO-coordinated team of global experts will soon arrive in China. This is a multinational team made up of specialists with expertise on vaccine and drug development, public health and other fields. He emphasized that this is not only an act of science but also “an act of solidarity” and that this team, “on behalf of the global community”, will “share the burden and ideas with our colleagues in China”.