SHANGHAI: Wuhan, the epicentre of the Covid-19 (coronavirus) outbreak, has closed all of its 16 public facility-turned temporary hospitals on Tuesday (March 10) as the number of Covid-19 patients continues to drop in the city.

Wuhan reported 17 new confirmed cases on Monday, dropping below 20 for the first time and a significant contrast with a month ago, when 1,921 cases were reported on Feb 9.

The hospitals were converted from public venues such as exhibition centers and gymnasiums in early February in an effort to treat patients with mild symptoms and isolate the source of infections amid strained medical resources.

By the closure of the last two hospitals on Tuesday, the temporary hospitals in Wuhan have received a total of more than 12,000 patients, according to local authorities.

"The erection of temporary hospitals is an innovative and effective move that has achieved its initial goal of treating more patients and containing the source of infection," said Hu Yu, head of Wuhan Union Hospital, which manages one of the temporary hospitals.

At the Wuchang Hongshan Stadium, the last batch of 49 patients was discharged from the temporary hospital at around 3:30pm on Tuesday.

The stadium was among the first three public venues to be converted into temporary hospitals when the authorities first announced the plan on Feb 3. Wuhan reported 1,242 new confirmed cases on that day.

The temporary hospital started to accept patients on Feb 5. Through its 35 days of operation, over 860 medical workers from 14 provinces and municipalities treated patients there. - Xinhua/Asian News Network