As of Thursday, all SARS patients in six of Beijing's
SARS-designated hospitals had been discharged,according to the
Beijing Anti-SARS Joint Task Force.
The disinfection of the six hospitals will be completed within a
week, paving the way for the admission of non-SARS patients, said
the work force.
The discharge of the SARS patients from the six hospitals is
anindication that Beijing has effectively checked the spread of
SARS,given the declining numbers of probable patients and growing
numbers of recovered patients, said Han Demin, executive deputy
director of the Beijing Municipal Health Bureau.
Recovered SARS patients now account for more than half of the total
SARS patients in Beijing, said Han, adding that a large number of
SARS patients will be discharged from hospitals in the coming 5 to
10 days.
Cai Fuchao, director of the Beijing municipal publicity department,
revealed that the Beijing Anti-SARS Joint Task Force decided on May
27 to move all SARS patients from nine designated hospitals to
seven others which have better facilities and conditions.
The nine hospitals will now resume their treatment of non-SARS
patients, Cai said, adding that the seven SARS hospitals have a
combined total of 2,503 beds and ready to admit new SARS
patients.
Cai said Thursday that Beijing will maintain three hospitals
designated for SARS patients until the end of the crisis, including
the You'an Hospital.
(Xinhua News Agency June 6, 2003)
