In addition to diagnosis and treatment, Guan chats with, and helps calm the anxiety of, patients in the wards.

Liu Zimeng, Guan's colleague, says Guan particularly likes to communicate with patients, and his voice is reassuring.

"Every time Guan comes to the ward, the patients are always pleased to hear his voice, and their response to it is much better than their response to ours," Liu says.

Guan always treats his charges gently and with patience, he adds.

Si Xiang, another colleague, adds that Guan's professionalism and optimism influences the rest of the team.

"Guan is always at the front and he is the one who carries the battle flag for the team," Si says.

It is the 14th time Guan left Guangzhou to help other cities in their fight against the pandemic over the past two-and-a-half years.

In addition to Hainan, Guan has also been dispatched to Hubei, Heilongjiang, Liaoning, Yunnan, Hunan and Henan provinces, as well as the Xinjiang Uygur autonomous region.

Guan says he was honored and happy to learn that he has been named among this year's top 10"most beautiful doctors" in China by the Publicity Department of the Communist Party of China's Central Committee and the National Health Commission, due to his outstanding performance in the fight against COVID-19.

However, Guan will not be in Beijing to participate in the award ceremony on Friday, which marks the fifth annual Chinese Doctors' Day, because he will be hard at work in Sanya, fighting to bring the COVID-19 outbreak there under control.

He says that the title of "the most beautiful doctor" belongs to every medical worker in the country who has fought hard against the pandemic.

Earlier this month, Guan celebrated his 60th birthday in Sanya. He says he doesn't regret being unable to celebrate his birthday with family members.