XI'AN -- A series of photos showing a medical worker collecting nucleic acid samples in a village have recently gone viral on Chinese social platforms, winning praise from netizens.

One photo showed a medical worker wearing protective gear stooped to swab a farmer's throat in a field. Other photos also showed the medical worker collecting nucleic acid samples at farmers' homes.

Those photos were recently taken in Peijiazhuang village, Lueyang county, Hanzhong city of Northwest China's Shaanxi province, by Ren Zhengdong, a village official. The medical worker is Liu Jia, a doctor from a local hospital.

In early March, confirmed COVID-19 cases were reported in Lueyang county. To curb the spread of the epidemic in the rural areas, nucleic acid testings have been carried out across villages and townships in Lueyang.

Nearly 20 doctors in Liu's hospital have been dispatched to the villages to collect nucleic acid samples for rural residents.