London’s ExCeL, familiar to travel types as the venue for the UK’s largest travel industry event, World Travel Market, is being refitted for hundreds of beds with oxygen and ventilators, as it prepares to become a temporary hospital for thousands of coronavirus patients. Dubbed The NHS Nightingale – London’s new coronavirus pop-up hospital could accept its first coronavirus-stricken patients as early as next week, as the UK’s number of confirmed cases was over 9,500 as of Wednesday evening.

The hospital will initially provide up to 500 beds, though capacity will continue to increase, and UK Health Secretary Matt Hancock announced it will comprise two super wards, with the ability to hold up to 4,000 patients.

NHS chief executive Sir Simon Stevens said: “Under these exceptionally challenging circumstances the NHS is taking extraordinary steps to fight coronavirus. That’s why NHS clinicians and managers are working with military planners and engineers to create, equip, staff and open the NHS Nightingale London, and we’re very grateful for their support.

“This will be a model of care never needed or seen before in this country, but our specialist doctors are in touch with their counterparts internationally who are also opening facilities like this, in response to the shared global pandemic.

“Despite these amazing measures, the fact is no health service in the world will cope if coronavirus lets rip, which is why NHS staff are pleading with the public to follow medical advice – stay at home, stop the virus spreading, and save lives.”