A sense of direction

Jiang Li, director of the department of critical care medicine at Xuanwu Hospital, Capital Medical University, starts her work day by going around ICU wards to check the patients as early as possible before the formal ward inspection during shift change.

In between, she usually makes coffee for herself and her team, sometimes even producing some latte art for them.

Since COVID-19 pandemic hit China in December, Jiang, 51, has only spent a few days in her wards-as the expert from the National Health Commission, she spent three months in Wuhan, capital of Hubei province treating seriously ill patients on the frontline until the last COVID-19 patient in Wuhan was discharged on April 26.

Two months later, when a second wave of the virus hit Beijing, Jiang went to the frontline alone again-she joined the team at Beijing Ditan Hospital, Capital Medical University to treat the patients.

"Drawing on experience gained from Wuhan, this time the treatment was not as hurried," Jiang says.

By Aug 6, all 335 COVID-19 patients related to Beijing's Xinfadi wholesale market had been discharged after the unflinching 56-day effort of Jiang and the medical team.