Wuchang Fangcang Shelter Hospital: Practices, Experiences, and Lessons Learned in Controlling COVID-19.

ABSTRACT

In early January 2020, the outbreak of the new corona virus pneumonia (Corona Virus Disease 2019, COVID-19) occurred. Wuhan, the capital city of Hubei province, became the epicenter of the disease in China. The rapid growth of patients had exceeded the maximum affordability of local medical resources. A large comprehensive gymnasium was converted into Wuchang Fangcang Shelter Hospital in order to provide adequate medical beds and appropriate care for the confirmed patients with mild to moderate symptoms. For these hospitalized patients with COVID-19, medication became the mainstay of therapy. From 5th February to 10th March, a team of pharmacists successfully completed drug supplies and pharmaceutical services for 1124 patients and approximately 800 medical staff, and, while doing so, received zero complaint, and experienced zero disputes and zero pharmacist infection. This paper summarizes the development and construction of the pharmacy, human resource allocation of pharmacists, pharmacy administration, and pharmaceutical services. It aims to review a 34-day period of pharmaceutical practice and serve as a reference for other health professionals working on COVID-19 prevention and treatment in other regions.