A comparison of designated hospitals, newly built temporary hospitals and Fangcang shelter hospitals
| Type of hospital | Designated hospitals | Newly built temporary hospitals | Fangcang shelter hospitals |
| Approaches | Designate several hospitals as the designated hospitals to admit patients. | Build a temporary hospital that meets the standards of respiratory infectious disease hospitals to admit patients. | Requisition of public venues, such as stadiums and civil buildings, to convert into healthcare facilities to admit patients. |
| Date of opening | 22 January 2020 | 23 January 2020 | 5 February 2020 |
| Capacity (beds) | 23 532 | 2600 | 16 000 |
| Advantage | Equipped with the necessary medical equipment which enabled patients to be treated immediately. It is beneficial as it provides sufficient care to patients with severe or critical COVID-19. | The newly built hospitals are in accordance with the epidemic prevention and control standards. | Rapid construction in a short period of time, low cost and massive scale. |
| Disadvantage | Increase the risk of nosocomial infection, and it is difficult to provide different levels of care. | Time-consuming and costly construction, limited hospital beds. | Public venues do not meet the requirements of hospitals and comfortable living conditions in general. |
| Applicability | Epidemic under control. | The number of patients has reached or may exceed the capacity of the local healthcare system. | The epidemic is developing rapidly, and the markedly increased volume of patients exceeds the capacity of the local healthcare system. |