(ECNS) -- Last week saw an extraordinary peak of COVID-19 cases in Beijing, resembling a pandemic tsunami, said Wang Guangfa, from the Respiratory Department of Peking University First Hospital.
In the next one or two weeks, the peak of severe cases will arrive, so all medical institutions here should prepare early, Wang added.
He introduced the current situation in his workplace, one of the leading three-class grade A hospitals in China, during an interview with Yixuejie, an online community for doctors, which was released on Monday.
"Although the peak of severe cases was yet to come, our medical resources have been already relatively tight. In the past week, many hospitals have been very difficult, coupled with infections of medical staff," he said.
The doctor pointed out that people infected with COVID-19 may possibly turn into severe cases after 5-7 days rather than immediately becoming critical, which means the peak of severe cases would arrive later than that of infection.
Additionally, infection could gradually worsen a patient's underlying disease, which also takes time. In conclusion, the peak of severe illness will be ushered in the next one to two weeks, he said.
He urged hospitals to expand the number of intensive care beds right away. Ventilators and other medical equipment should also be put in place quickly, he added.
Wang also suggested that hospitals organize medical teams that target severe illnesses and raise prevention awareness.
The deluge of the pandemic will probably last until the Spring Festival, which falls in late January, the doctor said.
After then, there will be an infection slowdown in the country, but the situation will not go back to normal until late February and early March when the weather turns warm, he added.
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