Wu Zhongyan, a critical care nurse from Beijing Geriatric Hospital, had never worn a protective gown before arriving in Wuhan, capital of Hubei province, in late January.

Together with her colleagues, who were sent to the city to help control the COVID-19 epidemic, they were facing a new and highly infectious virus.

In Beijing, they had only dealt with older patients with chronic diseases.

Despite some training from Beijing Geriatric Hospital on how to properly wear a protective gown, Wu was nervous before she entered an intensive care ward at Wuhan Union Hospital wearing a thick protective gown, gloves and shoe coverings.

However, her apprehension dissolved as soon as she stepped inside the ward.

"It is true I felt a little worried before entering for fear of infection. But the fears vanished once I put on my protective clothing. All that was on my mind was how to treat the patients," she said.

In addition to caring for critically ill patients at the hospital, she also provided daily care including feeding, cleaning and massaging patients.

Initially, Wu and her colleagues worked six-hour shifts without a break. Working in a sealed ward wearing a thick protective gown for several hours could be uncomfortable, with shortness of breath and clothes often getting soaked in sweat.

The onerous shifts were later reduced to four hours at the suggestion of Ji Dongmei, a chief nurse at Beijing Geriatric Hospital, who was also deployed to Wuhan.

"Before we arrived at the hospital, many nurses worked six-hour shifts, due to the large numbers of patients," Ji said.

"But it is dangerous to work long hours under high tension wearing protective gowns, judging by our experiences during the SARS outbreak in 2003.

"If they had continued working such long hours, they would have fallen sick one after another," said Ji, who fought the severe acute respiratory syndrome outbreak in Beijing 17 years ago.

Despite her fatigue, Wu often had to try her best to give psychological support to critically ill patients. She constantly encouraged them so they had the confidence to mount a full recovery.

One of Wu's patients, a man of about 60, refused to follow her instructions when she was trying to remove sputum from his lungs, she said.

"I tried to comfort him, touching his forehead softly and telling him that he could close his eyes and that he must be strong and undergo the treatment so he could return home early to see his family," Wu said. "After listening to my words, he relaxed and closed his eyes.

"Many patients, even those in critical condition, are eager to hang onto life. As medical staff we should try out best to save them."

Ji was given an administrative role in charge of the 93 nurses sent from Beijing.

Her biggest concern was how to ensure the safety of all the nurses, who returned to Beijing at the end of March, while they cared for patients.

"Most of the nurses are young and passionate about saving lives, but they may ignore self-protection rules while working," she said. "I had to constantly keep them alert and not relax any efforts to protect them from being infected."

The happiest moments for Ji and her colleagues were when recovered patients showed their appreciation for the nurses' efforts.

"After so many days together, we and our patients were as close as family members," she said.

"They appreciated us a lot, and some would ask us to take a group photo with them before leaving hospital. Such moments were really emotional."