Beijing hospital fights imported cases

Xiaotangshan Hospital, originally built to treat severe acute respiratory syndrome patients in 2003, saw its first novel coronavirus pneumonia patient discharged on Monday, two weeks after the medical facility reopened.

Holding flowers and expressing thanks to medical workers, the female former patient－who was sent to the hospital on March 19－left the ward in a designated vehicle on Monday afternoon. No more details about the patient were revealed.

The hospital, located in Beijing's Changping district, was renovated and put into operation on March 16 to screen high-risk passengers to the capital and treat imported mild and nonserious COVID-19 infections, after China began experiencing a rising risk of imported cases earlier this month.

As of the end of Sunday, the hospital had screened 2,002 people arriving in Beijing from overseas, with 43 confirmed cases of novel coronavirus pneumonia reported at the facility.