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Coronavirus: Scotland's largest exhibition centre to be turned into pandemic field hospital

Glasgow, UK - July 21, 2017: The beautiful River Clyde in Glasgow Scotland with the SEC Armadillo and the SSE Hydro. The SEC Armadillo and the SSE Hydro are part of Glasgow's modern entertainment and conference district.
The SEC Armadillo and the SSE Hydro alongside the River Clyde in Glasgow, July 21, 2017.

Scotland’s largest exhibition centre will be turned into a field hospital to treat coronavirus patients, Nicola Sturgeon has confirmed – but it may not be needed.

The Scotland Exhibition Centre (SEC) in Glasgow will be transformed into a “temporary NHS hospital”, which will become operational within a fortnight, Sturgeon announced on Monday.

The centre, usually used for concerts, weddings and political conferences, would offer 300 additional beds initially for coronavirus patients.

Sturgeon said the building could have the capacity for 1,000 more beds, but may not have to be used as 3,000 beds have been set up in NHS hospitals across Scotland to prepare for the crisis.

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Scotland's First Minister, Nicola Sturgeon, and Deputy First Minister, John Swinney arrive for the opening address to delegates at the Scottish National Party conference at the SEC Centre in Glasgow, Scotland, Sunday Oct. 8, 2017. ( Jane Barlow/PA via AP)
Scotland's first minister Nicola Sturgeon and her deputy John Swinney arrive for the opening address to delegates at the SNP Conference at the SEC Centre in Glasgow, 8 October, 2017. (Jane Barlow/PA via AP)

Sturgeon said in a press conference today: “I can confirm following exploratory work over last week and the weekend we have now taken the decision to start work on turning the Scottish Exhibition Centre in Glasgow into a temporary NHS hospital.

“If needed, we expect that the hospital could become operational within a fortnight from now.

"Initially it would provide us with 300 additional beds, but ultimately it could have capacity for more than 1,000 patients.

“It is important to be clear that we might not need to use the exhibition centre.

“There are currently approximately 13,000 beds in NHS hospitals across Scotland and using those NHS boards are working to ensure 3,000 beds are available for Covid-19 patients within our existing hospital network.”

Scotland's COVID-19 death toll has reached 47, up six overnight – with 1,563 confirmed cases and 108 people in intensive care.

In London, the centre of the UK coronavirus outbreak, a 4,000-bed hospital is being created inside London’s ExCel centre to help tackle the coronavirus outbreak.

Read more: UK faces 'massive shortage' of ventilators

Named the NHS Nightingale Hospital, it should take some pressure off London hospitals by absorbing demand, giving the trusts more time to increase their own capacity.

Read more: Inside the new 4,000-bed NHS Nightingale Hospital at London’s ExCel

In Birmingham, the National Exhibition Centre (NEC) said it “stands ready” if it is needed to become a temporary field hospital during the outbreak.

The site close to Birmingham Airport has 18 exhibition halls and usually plays host to high-profile conferences and shows, but bosses said they are ready to help the NHS “with immediate effect”.

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