Editor's note: According to the white paper on China's fight against COVID-19 published in June, upon the outbreak some 540,000 medical workers from Wuhan and other parts of Hubei province plunged into the fray, soon to be joined by more than 40,000 civilian and military medical workers rushing from other parts of the country. Millions of medical workers grappled with the epidemic on the front lines across the country. In addition, as of May 31, China had sent 29 medical expert teams to 27 countries to help them fight against the COVID-19 pandemic.

Aug 19 marks the third Chinese Medical Workers' Day, which had the theme of "upholding the anti-epidemic spirit and protecting lives".

2020 has been a special year for many medical workers. Facing the COVID-19 outbreak, they committed themselves to epidemic prevention and control, and have made great contributions to people's health and lives. The stories below record some of their unforgettable moments on the pandemic frontline.

An ICU doctor entrusted with a critical mission

Liu Zhuang works on the frontline of COVID-19 fighting in Wuhan. [Photo/provided to nhc.gov.cn]

During his 65-day stay in Wuhan, where the first clusters were reported in late December, Liu Zhuang, head of the Beijing medical assistance team sent to the country's hardest-hit city, not only spared no efforts in treating critical patients in the inpatient wards, but also played the role of chief of the "frontline medical department", ensuring the coordination of resources and medical treatments. 

In response to the difficult conditions, the medical department he organized dispatched 36 doctors from 12 municipal hospitals to work in coordination with other management teams.

Liu also led the transformation of the general ward within eight hours and set up the first standardized isolation ward in the West Campus of Wuhan Union Hospital. On the frontline, not a single minute was wasted. After arriving in Wuhan, his medical team opened the first COVID-19 ward within 48 hours, completed the reception of two wards within 72 hours, opened the third ward within five days, and admitted more than 100 patients within six days.

In April, Liu was honored with the China Youth May 4th Medal.

A silent fight closest to the virus

To enhance effective screening of the novel coronavirus, Yinchuan Center for Disease Control and Prevention in Ningxia Hui autonomous region established a team to conduct nucleic acid testing for samples of suspected cases. Racing against time, this 10-member team used multiple methods to detect viruses 24 hours a day.

For many days, the lights in the laboratory were on all night. Each round of operation needed five hours -- and might take eight hours if problems were encountered. For Zhang Weihong, deputy leader of the testing group, although the detection task was arduous, they would not take any chances with the results. "The earlier we get the result, the more danger we can reduce", said Zhang.