The NHS Nightingale Hospital at the NEC for coronavirus patients has today been officially opened by Prince William.
The field hospital at the National Exhibition Centre in Solihull took its first patients on Good Friday, ahead of schedule, after being constructed in just eight days.
The West Midlands region is the most affected by Covid-19 deaths and confirmed cases outside London.
The Duke of Cambridge, speaking via video link, told a gathering of NHS staff and workers involved at the hospital: “You all deserve our huge thanks and you should all be hugely proud of what you have achieved in such a short space of time.
“I know that the Nightingale Birmingham will provide invaluable resources for hospitals from miles and miles around.
“This will reassure people across the Midlands that, if their local hospitals reach capacity, there will be extra beds available for their loved ones here. I find that very comforting and I know many other people will too.”