London's first COVID-19 field hospital is being established at the Western Fair District Agriplex.
The London Health Sciences Centre stated it is taking steps to prepare for a potential influx of patients requiring treatment for COVID-19 and one of those steps is transforming the Agriplex into a temporary off-site hospital.
"This facility will be an extension of LHSC under the Public Hospitals Act, and will initially be used as a transfer facility for patients who are recovering from COVID-19, but not yet well enough to be discharged home," hospital officials said in a statement issued on Friday.
The field hospital will initially open with 180 beds, but will have the ability to expand to 500 beds if the need arises.
Work to prepare the site is being undertaken in partnership with the hospital, the Western Fair District, and the City of London. The facility will be managed by the LHSC.
While the field hospital is currently being set-up it will only be activated if there is a need to do so, according to hospital officials.
Currently, in London-Middlesex there have been 92 confirmed cases of COVID-19 since the outbreak began. Of those, 19 remain in the care of the London Health Sciences Centre - 11 in intensive care.