China's top epidemiologist Zhong Nanshan. [Photo provided to chinadaily.com.cn]

An international health station will be built in Guangzhou, Guangdong province, to help prevent the spread of the coronavirus, a leading virus expert said recently.

Zhong Nanshan, China's top epidemiologist, said rooms at the station will be designed and built for the isolation and quarantine of COVID-19 patients.

Located in a suburb of the city, the station will occupy an area of 250,000 square meters, with 5,000 independently isolated rooms.

"Some ordinary hotels used for isolation and quarantine are not qualified in terms of quarantine requirements — for example, distance from nearby buildings," Zhong said during an interview with local media.

He said that more than 80 percent of inbound passengers in China, or nearly 90 percent, come in via Guangzhou.

A total of 153 COVID-19 cases were reported in the city from May. No new local cases have been reported since June 19, according to the local health commission.