China's medical workers are devoting every effort to the fight against the viral pneumonia outbreak. More are joining the frontline in the central city of Wuhan to battle the illness.

Nearly a thousand medical workers from Guangdong Province's Nanfang Hospital have offered to help. In a letter to their hospital, the team which previously battled severe acute respiratory syndrome (SARS) in 2003 asked to be assigned to Wuhan to help in the fight against the new coronavirus. None of the team members contracted SARS years ago, and they want to use their experience to contribute now.

The fight against the epidemic is drawing in more and more medical workers across the nation. The first aid team from Shanghai has arrived in Wuhan with doctors from respiratory and critical care departments, and two more teams from the city are awaiting orders. Aid teams from Sichuan and Jiangsu provinces have also geared up. 

Meanwhile, many local medical workers in Wuhan have canceled their Spring Festival vacations, choosing instead to stay and help fight the virus. The nurses in the isolation wards change shifts every four hours. Due to the medical regulations and high pressure brought on by the work, they always end their shifts in sweat and exhausted. 

The family members of the medical workers are worried about their safety. Xiao Zhimin, a nurse from Wuhan Jinyintan Hospital, said her nine-year-old son painted a picture for her after she worked many days without a break. Xiao's son would give up his toy castle just for his mother to be with him. But for many medical personnel like Xiao, they would give up even more to win this ongoing battle.