More COVID-19 patients discharged in Hainan

The construction site of Sanya's third makeshift hospital. [Photo/IC]

More COVID-19 patients are recovering and have been discharged from hospitals in Hainan province, as the epidemic-stricken island makes efforts to ensure good medical treatment for those infected, local authorities said.

As of 6 am on Tuesday, 125 patients had been discharged, Li Wenxiu, deputy director of the Hainan Health Commission, said at a news conference in Haikou on Tuesday afternoon.

Li said there are currently 10,056 inpatients, including three in critical condition, six in severe condition, 86 in less severe condition, 2,624 with mild symptoms, 4,228 asymptomatic carriers and 3,109 unclassified patients.

The daily number of infections reported remains high. Confirmed cases reached 426, while asymptomatic cases hit 785 on Monday.

As of Monday, the number of confirmed and asymptomatic cases in Hainan had risen to 4,816 and 5,277, respectively, since Aug 1, when the first confirmed case was reported. Sanya, the epicenter of the new outbreak, registered 3,596 confirmed and 4,497 asymptomatic cases, the commission said on Tuesday.

More than 4,360 new beds were made ready for COVID-19 patients on Monday. Hainan is building more makeshift hospitals in Sanya and Haikou for infected people. A contact mechanism has also been established for designated hospitals and makeshift hospitals to ensure the smooth transfer of patients in severe conditions, Li said at the briefing.

He said the infections in Hainan remain at a high yet controllable level. The local government will further strengthen epidemic prevention and control in Danzhou, Lingshui, Dongfang, Lingao, Wanning and Ledong, regions where the epidemic is still developing and the risk of transmission remains, he said.