Hospitals in Chinese cities have stepped up efforts to treat COVID-19 patients in severe conditions, as infections have kept surging since China announced a slew of measures to optimize the COVID-19 response in early December, since which time hospitals in central China's Hubei Province have increased the number of hospital beds and placed patients under categorized management. In Wuxue City, the No.1 People's Hospital has converted its healthcare center into a COVID-19 treatment zone.