BEIJING, Feb. 6 (Xinhua) -- The renovation of Xiaotangshan Hospital, formerly used to quarantine and treat SARS patients in Beijing, will be completed in mid-February, according to the construction department.

It will be a backup hospital, depending on the novel coronavirus epidemic in the city, the Beijing Municipal Health Committee said.

The five-story hospital will accommodate 81 wards with nearly 160 beds, and will be equipped with a ventilation system, an oxygen supply system and other new systems after renovation.

Beijing built Xiaotangshan Hospital in just a week for the treatment and control of SARS, or Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome in 2003.