Wuhan hospitals reported a greater number of available beds than that of COVID-19 patients. While doctors there thought it's the beginning of a long-awaited situation though, the fight was not yet over.

At Zhongnan Hospital of Wuhan University, vice-president Zhao Yan was in charge of disinfecting his emergency rooms, a place as a battlefield in the fight against the deadly novel coronavirus.

The hospital moved COVID-19 patients to a separate building after the city regrouped all of its patients. Wuhan closed its first temporary hospital on Sunday.

"As a doctor, it is a difficult thing to see a patient that you can't help," said Dr. Zhao. "It was rewarding to reach this stage, as it was a sign of larger bed availability." But the battle is not over, Dr. Zhao said.

The disinfection process in the ward is complicated due to COVID-19's high level of contagiousness. Medical staff had to stay vigilant.

Working on the front lines puts medical workers at great risk. Eleven members in Zhao's emergency department have been infected. Six recovered and were back at work.

"We have good protection. But in an environment with too many patients and a lot of viruses, you could still get infected if you stay too long, no matter what sort of protection you have," he explained.

Recalling the early days of the epidemic, Tian Yu, the department's head nurse, said they have overcome the toughest times.

"Previously, medical resources were very tight. The emergency room was desperately in need of them. Patients used to have to wait for beds. But now that's no longer the case," Tian said.

With hope lying ahead, Dr. Zhao said it was important to use rational and scientific methods when it comes to curing patients.

(Zhang Youze and Meng Mingwei also contributed to the story.)