Around 28,000 female medical workers went to aid epidemic control effort in Hubei province, accounting for two-thirds of the total number of arrived medical workers, Guo Yanhong, an expert from the National Health Commission, said on March 8.

Female medical workers have played a significant role in treating the patients, she said. Some exemplars included noted epidemiologist Li Lanjuan and president of the Peking University Third Hospital Jiao Jie.

"They are skilled doctors with big hearts, and they are the most admirable people of our age," she said.

Of the 346 teams of medical workers, 42,600 strong in total, that arrived in Hubei province since the outbreak, 19,000 of which worked in intensive care units, she said. "It is a very demanding job, and we asked older staff members to not participate in ICU works."

"Since two-thirds of all the medical workers are female, we have used various ways to show our affection for the women working on the frontline of the epidemic, including satisfying their needs for personal or special items."

With the help of the local government, all medical workers are living in safe and convenient quarters, and they are well-rested thanks to rotating shifts, she said, adding no medical workers have been infected since arrival.

As for stress relief, the medical teams also included over 300 psychologists and counselors that can help alleviate stress for the patient and the medical staff members.