Health Secretary Matt Hancock told a Downing Street online news conference a COVID-19 field hospital is being set up in London. "We will next week, open a new hospital, a temporary hospital, the NHS Nightingale hospital at the Excel Centre in London.
"The NHS Nightingale hospital will comprise two wards, each of 2000 people.
"With the help of the military, and with NHS clinicians, we will make sure that we have the capacity that we need so that everyone can get the support they need."
Stephen Powis, national medical director of NHS England, described setting up the hospital as an "extraordinary feat".
He added: "From a standing start a day or 2 ago, a hospital will be built that will be able to take its first patient at the start of next week."
