'General Hospital' to air 12,000th episode

NEW YORK, Feb. 8 (UPI) -- The U.S. soap opera "General Hospital" is to air its 12,000th episode this month, ABC said Monday.

The daytime drama, which has been on television for more than 46 years, will reach the milestone Feb. 23.

ABC noted it would take a traditional 22-episode-a-year series more than 545 years to air as many episodes as "GH" will have done by the end of the next two weeks.

"In any climate, it is amazing that we have the opportunity to celebrate such a momentous occasion," Executive Producer Jill Farren Phelps said in a statement. "This milestone honors the strength of the daytime drama and looks to the future that 'General Hospital' will continue to air many, many more episodes."