Millions of medical workers fought on the front line in the battle against COVID-19, risking their lives saving many others. They are the ones who brought light and hope to the nation at a dark time, Chinese President Xi Jinping said at an awards ceremony honoring outstanding individuals in the COVID-19 fight in Beijing on Tuesday.

About 540,000 medical workers in Hubei Province were the first to answer the nation's call during the Chinese New Year holiday, followed by 42,000 peers selected from 346 medical teams from hospitals across China to support the local medical system in Wuhan, said Xi. 

Among them were top experts, military medics, experienced doctors and nurses of various disciplines from the country's best hospitals.

At the initial stage, tens of thousands of healthcare workers across the country devoted themselves to the fight against COVID-19, racing against time to save lives and safeguard people's health and safety.

One of the individuals recognized on Tuesday was Zhong Nanshan, a respiratory expert who identified the SARS virus in 2003 and has been leading China's efforts in the fight against COVID-19. 

All medical professionals put people's lives and health first and foremost, said Zhong. "We respected the facts and followed the science, and gave everything we've got to the battle to fight COVID-19."

Though China has achieved victory in the battle against COVID-19, "We must not lower our guard and finish the battle as we have begun," he stressed. "We will work with medical workers from all over the country and the world to make continuous efforts in tracing the origin of the virus, cutting off transmission, rapid diagnosis, drug development, treatment for severe cases and vaccine development, so as to make greater contribution to the global fight against COVID-19 as well as building a global community of health for all."

"People have entrusted us with their lives and health, that's why we went into the medical profession. And it is the mission of our doctors and nurses to ensure the health and safety of the people," said Zhong.

"The nation, the people, and history will never forget them," said Xi. "Their names will be etched on the monument of the republic."

When a type of pneumonia with unknown cause was first found in Wuhan last December, there was little knowledge about how it sickened people, how it spread, and how to treat it. But, the work of medical professions helped contain the virus in China by April.

As of August, the overall recovery rate of COVID-19 patients was 93.5 percent across China, and that of severe patients and critically ill patients stood at 98.55 percent and 77.44 percent respectively.