Beijing: China is rushing to build a new hospital in a staggering 10 days to treat patients at the epicentre of a deadly virus outbreak that has stricken hundreds of people, state media reported on Friday.

The facility in the central city of Wuhan is expected to be in use by February 3 to serve a rising number of patients infected by a coronavirus that has left at least 26 people dead and millions on lockdown in an effort to curb its spread. Dozens of excavators and trucks were filmed working on the site by state broadcaster CCTV. The hospital will have a capacity of 1,000 beds spread over 25,000 square metres (270,000 square feet), the official Xinhua news agency said. Construction began as reports surfaced of bed shortages in hospitals designated to deal with the outbreak, which has now infected 830 people across China. Xinhua said the new facility is aimed at "alleviating the shortage of medical treatment resources and improving the ability to care for patients".