Hospital is my frontline, says nurse sister of hero

A courageous and decorated soldier is providing inspiration for his sister fighting on the frontline against the coronavirus outbreak.

Nurse Du Fujia volunteered to work at the fever clinic of the Meitan County People's Hospital in Guizhou province and hasn't had any time off recently.

The hospital is among the 183 facilities designated to treat pneumonia patients in Guizhou. She is among the first batch of medical staff who volunteered to combat the growing coronavirus outbreak in the hospital.

The virus, the epicenter of which is Wuhan, Hubei province, has infected more than 28,000 people and killed more than 560 across the country as of Thursday, the latest official data shows. In Guizhou, 69 cases of infection were confirmed as of Thursday with one death reported.

"Just as minefields were my brother's battlefield, amid the fight against the coronavirus outbreak, the hospital is mine. It is a doctor's and nurse's duty to cure and treat the ill, and we are ready to serve the country," Du says.

Her brother, Du Fuguo, lost his hands and eyes when a bomb exploded during a mine-clearing operation in October 2018. He was honored as an Heroic Demining Soldier by the Central Military Commission in July.

"I feel very proud of him, he has empowered me with his energy and courage," Du Fujia says.

"It is the first Spring Festival that my brother has stayed with the family at home in seven years, but I cannot be reunited with him, in case I bring the virus back," Du Fujia says.

She signed up to join the coronavirus team immediately after the hospital, on Jan 27, issued an initiative asking medical staff to work in the fever clinic, the frontline.

"Without telling the family, I signed up at once. I know they will support it," Du Fujia says.

She says that although no infected cases have been reported in Meitan, a surging number of residents have gone to the fever clinic. Besides taking temperatures, Du Fujia also shows the public how to prevent being infected and helps to deal with mental health issues.

Besides Du Fuguo and Du Fujia, there are also two brothers-Du Fuqiang, a border soldier in the Tibet autonomous region, and Du Fumin, an ICU doctor at Jiali Hospital in Meitan.

"The development of the epidemic is unexpectedly quick. Every Chinese person should stand up to combat the illness," Du Fumin says.

"I hope the war without gun smoke can be over soon," he says.

Du Fuguo solidly supports his younger sister's and brother's decision.

"It is their mission to save patients. They are true to their mission," Du Fuguo says, adding all the doctors and nurses on the frontline to contain the virus are heroes in our heart.

"Stay strong, medics! Stay strong, Wuhan! Stay strong, China!" He says.

Their story has become a hot topic online, viewed more than 130 million times on social media site Weibo by Thursday. One user comments: "Salute their mother. Her children make the country proud."

Like Du Fujia, there are hundreds of thousands of doctors and nurses, who have devoted themselves to controlling the coronavirus on the frontline.

At the same time, thousands of medical staff from across China are being dispatched to help tackle the epidemic in Hubei, which has isolated itself in a bid to curb the rapid spread of the virus.

Medics, who were in close contact with infected patients, have in some cases been infected with the virus and their plight has hit the headlines. Many of them, even in isolation, still keep an eye on the outbreak and make their own contributions from their hospital beds.

Yu Changping, a respiratory specialist at the Renmin Hospital of Wuhan University, who was infected by the virus and is still in isolation, has updated news on his treatment and recovery online.

Yu said in a video clip that his symptoms were relieved after five days of treatment and he hopes to get back to work as soon as he is cured.

"Through the clip I want to use my experience to tell the public that we can win the battle. Stay strong, Wuhan," Yu says.

On Monday, five medics in the intensive care unit of the cardiology department at Beijing Fuxing Hospital were confirmed to be infected.

"There is no angel in white, but a group of young people wearing medical uniforms following the steps of their predecessors to tackle the illness," Tang Sha, head nurse at The Central Hospital of Wuhan, posted to her WeChat circle.