BEIJING -- Up to 28,600 of the total 42,600 medical workers assisting virus-hit Hubei Province are nurses, and 40 percent of the nurses were born in the 1990s, said a Chinese health official on April 7.

High-quality nursing service had made great contributions in reducing the death rate of the pandemic, said Guo Yanhong, an official with the National Health Commission at a press conference.

Guo said that authorities will strengthen the protection over nurses' rights and interests, and intensify the training of nurses to further improve their professional skills.

China had 4.45 million nurses nationwide by the end of 2019, an increase of 350,000 over 2018, Guo said.