On the front line, it's one for all, all for one

Standing inside a quarantined ward in a white hazmat suit, Yu Ting often presses the daily medical records of critical patients infected with novel coronavirus pneumonia against a window at the ward's entrance, allowing nurses to copy the updates from the outside.

"The records are contaminated with the virus and cannot be brought outside," Yu, a doctor at Wuhan's Jinyintan Hospital, told local media previously.

Documenting patients' conditions has been the daily routine for the 43-year-old doctor, who has been serving as one of the ward directors at the hospital since the outbreak began in December.

His wife, Ding Na, works as a nurse for critical patients just two stories above Yu's wards, yet they hardly talk to each other.

"She sometimes comes to my floor to pick up medicine," he said. "I recognize her by the signature on her hazmat suit, but we often walk past each other because we are busy."

"Once we put on this white suit, we must remember our sacred task of healing the sick and wounded. This is what we must do, even when we are very tired," he told Sunday's news conference.

Yu said the phrase he feared the most was: "white suit, white suit, where are you? Please save my…" The words often jolt him into action, rushing to help those in need.

As of Saturday, the hospital had treated more than 2,000 severely and critically ill patients. While 1,200 have recovered and been discharged, not all have been so lucky.

At around 2:30 am on Feb 19, Yu received a distress call saying an 83-year-old patient was experiencing respiratory failure. Yu and seven other medical workers rushed to the ward and tried their best to save the elderly man. But their effort was in vain and the man died two hours later.

"Sometimes, the situation really does feel hopeless, but we only think about trying harder to save the patients, and maybe miracles can happen," he said.

In early February, Chen Yihe, an 82-year-old patient who recovered and was discharged, posed for a photo while holding Yu's hands.

"That photo has become my most prized possession," Chen said. "It was Doctor Yu who pulled me from the brink of death."

Yu said he is elated when he sees patients overcoming the disease one by one and leaving the hospital with smiles.

"I am very moved, and this is a form of encouragement for the minds and bodies of our staff members," he said.

Future expectations

I asked my medical staff members what they want most, and they all said they hope the epidemic will end as soon as possible. Our bodies and spirits have been pushed to the limit, but we are still fighting on.

This epidemic has taken the lives of many elderly patients, especially those with underlying health problems. Many of their children have cried in the hospital's halls. I hope our scientists can produce effective drugs against the virus soon.