Coronavirus preparations: Hospitals set up triage tents before outbreak worsens

Hospital officials in Maryland are taking steps to prepare now for a large COVID-19 outbreak before it happens.

The medical facilities have erected tents to triage and treat potential coronavirus cases and keep those who could be contagious isolated from other patients, The Baltimore Sun reported.

The tents, which are not being used for patients yet, have been set up at the Greater Baltimore Medical Center and the University of Maryland St. Joseph Medical Center, the newspaper reported.

WBAL reported that tents are also being installed at LifeBridge Health.

The tents, which are temperature-controlled, are being treated as extensions of the traditional emergency room. They have triage staff and medical equipment, the Sun reported, but are not in use yet, according to The Associated Press.

As of Wednesday, there were 12 confirmed cases of COVID-19 in Maryland, but state health officials said they expect to see the numbers jump as more people get tested, the Sun reported.

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