On Dec 30, Shen Runkun, a doctor at an emergency center in North China's Tianjin, started work at 7 am and was rushed off her feet the whole day.

Lately, a rise in COVID-19 infections in the city has significantly increased the workload of Shen and her coworkers at the Tianjin Medical Emergency Center, who now seem to be making nonstop ambulance journeys.

To ensure that patients infected with COVID-19 can be treated as early as possible, staff at the emergency center have been working overtime. Often, they can only squeeze in takeout meals during short breaks between ambulance callouts.

On one ambulance trip on Dec 30, Shen picked up a 50-year-old patient at a nursing home. Bedridden for a long time with a severe underlying medical condition, the patient had developed a pulmonary infection.

While en route to the nursing home, Shen made some inquiries about the patient's condition. About 13 minutes after the pickup, the ambulance arrived at the Second Hospital of Tianjin Medical University, where emergency physicians performed a more comprehensive examination and treatment.

"My colleagues have all stayed on the front line. Even if some fall ill, they don't complain and keep working. We hope to overcome the difficulties by working together," Shen says.

According to Li Shanglun, director of the emergency center, there are now 449 ambulances in the city.

"We have relatively abundant manpower. We have the confidence and ability to provide high-quality prehospital medical emergency services for our people in Tianjin," Li says.

As China continues its optimization of COVID-19 pandemic prevention and control measures, the country's antivirus focus has shifted to protecting health, and preventing and treating severe cases.