Valiant medics rise to new challenges

Tang also keeps a close watch on the quality of medical treatment in his department, as well as the physical and mental conditions of his staff members. By interacting with his colleagues, he tries to help them relieve some of the pressure they face.

Tang placed himself on a 24-hour response to help tackle the problems his team encounters at work.

He said the situation will stabilize, as most of the staff members have been infected with COVID-19 and will recover, but the intense demand for medical services is expected to remain before the infection peaks.

Zhang Yi, deputy director of the Guangzhou Health Commission, said at a news conference on Monday that the outbreak in the city is forecast to peak in the first 10 days of next month.

One medic has likened working in the emergency center of a diagnosis and treatment area for COVID-19 patients to fighting a ferocious and lengthy battle.

This description was used by Fan Kailiang, director of the second unit of the emergency and intensive medical department at Shandong Provincial Hospital of Traditional Chinese Medicine in Jinan, Shandong province.

Fan oversees work in a building for the diagnosis and treatment of diseases at the hospital, which since this month has been designated to serve only COVID-19 patients.

The hospital boasts a diagnosis and treatment process that covers services such as outpatients, emergencies, intensive care and CT scan checkups — providing all the treatments initially needed by patients.

Work has been a big challenge. Even though they wear protective medical suits, 70 percent of the doctors and nurses in the building have contracted COVID-19, Fan said.

"There is a high risk of becoming infected, especially in the emergency and intensive care units, where we repeatedly need to have contact with patients," Fan said.

Fan, who has lived at the hospital for more than one month to handle emergencies promptly, said the number of patients in Jinan with severe symptoms could peak late next month, based on analysis of epidemiological data.