The new NHS Nightingale hospital destined for Bristol will be "open in the coming weeks", Downing Street has said.
The hospital, which will have up to 1,000 beds and will be based at the University of the West of England, follows on from a similar hospital built at the ExCel centre in London, which was opened on Friday morning health secretary Matt Hancock and Prince Charles via videolink.
The temporary hospital already has 500 beds in place and can hold another 3,500, to be used by patients who have contracted the virus and need intensive care treatment.
It will be staffed by NHS workers including student nurses, medical students and former doctors and other workers who have come out of retirement to help.
The Prime Minister's spokesman this morning confirmed the opening of the Bristol hospital and another NHS Nightingale hospital in Harrogate, north Yorkshire.
Asked when the two facilities would be up and running, the spokesman told reporters: "They're expected to open in the coming weeks. As you now we were able to build the ExCel Nightingale hospital in under a fortnight.
"We have independent contractors involved in the hospital but the army will support those contractors if required."
It is also the case that the army will be available to help with the building of the Bristol hospital if required.
It is not yet known how many staff will be based at the hospital or where they will come from.
The hospital, which will be based at the university's conference centre on the university's Frenchay Campus, will relieve some of the strain on the region's hospitals, including Bristol Royal Infirmary where several people have died from the virus.
The move, announced by NHS chief executive Simon Stevens, has been welcomed by the Mayor of West of England, Tim Bowles, who called it an "exceptional example" of how people across the region were stepping up to meet the challenge.
"While we all hope these bed spaces won’t be needed, it is absolutely right that we should be prepared, " he said.
"We all have to do our bit to prepare, and for the majority of us, that is staying at home to stop the virus spreading."
On Thursday the number of confirmed cases in Bristol rose to 137. It was also revealed 14 people have died at sites managed by the University Hospitals Bristol Trust – which runs the Bristol Royal Infirmary (BRI) – as of Thursday, April 2.
The government says NHS Hospitals across the country have already freed up more than 33,000 beds, the equivalent of 50 new hospitals, for treatment of coronavirus patients.
