Satellite images show how countries have turned empty fields, sports stadiums, and parking lots into panic-built hospitals and testing sites

Natalie Colarossi

Apr 11, 2020, 03:12 IST

Satellite images show how countries have turned empty fields, sports stadiums, and parking lots into panic-built hospitals and testing sites

As of April 10, the COVID-19 pandemic has infected more than 1.6 million people and killed 102,000 worldwide - and countries are struggling to treat an overwhelming number of patients.
The virus has put an immense strain on medical systems globally, prompting governments and activist groups to panic-build new hospitals and testing facilities.
Using parking lots, empty fields, and sports stadiums, countries around the world have gotten creative with how to handle the coronavirus outbreak. These satellite images show just how they're doing it.
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The coronavirus pandemic has overwhelmed healthcare systems across the globe and sent countries scrambling to ramp up testing efforts and maintain enough space in hospitals.

As of April 10, the virus has infected more than 1.6 million people and killed at least 102,000 - and most countries have yet to report their worst death tolls.

In order to expand healthcare capacities, many countries have taken to panic-building new hospitals and testing sites in otherwise non-medical locations.

Across the globe, sports stadiums, parking lots, and recreational parks have been transformed into isolation wards and facilities to treat those who have fallen ill.

These satellite images from Maxar Technologies show how countries have scrambled to create new locations to treat and test individuals for the coronavirus.

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This incredible satellite image shoes a large, empty field outside of the Russian village Golokhvastovo, located on the outskirts of Moscow before construction of a field hospital began.

And this image shows what the field looks like after workers excavated and leveled the land to make way for a new 500-bed hospital to treat patients for the coronavirus.

In New York City, a Christian humanitarian aid organization called Samaritan's Purse has constructed a makeshift field hospital in Central Park.

A closer-up image shows the hospital's 14 tents, which hold 68 intensive-care beds. The makeshift hospital has access to ventilators, and has been treating a range of COVID-19 patients from the Mount Sinai Hospital system since April 1.

In Miami, the Florida Army National Guard has transformed the parking lot of Hard Rock Stadium — home to the city's football team — into a drive-thru COVID-19 testing center.

The testing center opened on March 23, and is being used to test first responders and healthcare workers (including police, fire-rescue, hospital workers, and other essential employees) as well as those who are 65 and older with symptoms.

Also in Miami, this satellite image shows a field hospital built at the Miami-Dades Youth Fair. The hospital is built on the fairgrounds in Westchester, Florida, and is equipped with 250 medical beds.

In Landover, Maryland, the Maryland National Guard and the Prince George County Health Department have turned a FedEx Field parking lot into a COVID-19 testing center.

A close-up image shows an isolated region of the parking lot, where patients with a verified appointment can be screened at various tents for the coronavirus.

The parking lot of Tiaa Bank Field in Jacksonville, Florida, the stadium home to the Jaguars, has also been transitioned into a COVID-19 testing facility.

This closer image shows lines of tents set up for cars to drive-thru and get tested. Starting March 23, the parking lot is available for testing symptomatic people of all ages.

This satellite image shows a hospital built in the middle of a soccer field in Shoreline, Washington.

A closer image shows the two makeshift tents located right on top of the field. The temporary hospital is equipped with up to 200 beds, and is meant to treat patients who have been exposed to COVID-19 with less severe symptoms in order to relieve other hospitals in the area.

The US Navy sent two floating hospital ships — each equipped with 1,000 beds — to New York City and Los Angeles. This satellite image shows the USNS Mercy, the hospital ship that deployed to Los Angeles on March 27.

And this image shows its sister ship, the USNS Comfort, which docked in New York City on March 30.

In Boston, physicians set up a military-style tent hospital in an empty parking lot in order to provide a place for homeless people to quarantine and receive care.

This closer image shows two makeshift tents within the parking lot. One tent is built specifically for quarantining patients who do not have symptoms but have been exposed to the virus, while the other is meant for those who have tested positive and need care.

This satellite image shows the parking lot of the University of New Orleans Lakefront Arena, which the US Department of Health and Human Services and the City of New Orleans have transformed into a COVID-19 testing site.

A closer image shows a line of cars driving through the testing tents. The site is open to anyone 18 or older with coronavirus symptoms, and the city aims to test up to 100 people a day in the parking lot.

In Buenos Aires, the Campo de Mayo military site has set up a mobile field hospital using tents outside of its base in order to deal with a rise in novel coronavirus cases.

In Bogota, Colombia, the country's central military hospital has transformed its parking lot to include eight hospital tents, which can be used to treat patients without respiratory issues, and free up space within the main facility.

This image shows a massive field hospital built in the middle of Pacaembu Stadium in Sao Paulo, Brazil. The stadium is typically used for soccer matches and concerts, but is now the center of a 200-bed hospital to treat coronavirus patients.

In South Africa, the Tygerberg hospital in Cape Town has built a field hospital system outside of its main facility in order to provide more room to treat COVID-19 patients.

A close-up of the makeshift hospital shows the building where patients can be isolated, evaluated by health officials, and tested for the virus.

In Nigeria, this satellite image shows a makeshift hospital built in the middle of the Onikan sports stadium. The stadium is located in Lagos, the epicenter of the virus outbreak in Nigeria, and is being used to treat and isolate patients with coronavirus.

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