Nurse's videos bring home virus battle

Hu has recently become a well-known figure among Wuhan residents after her videos were broadcast by Central China Television.

"I like shooting videos in my spare time. When some media friends and volunteers asked me to help shoot some videos to record the work of medical workers in isolation wards and ICUs of the hospital, I quickly said 'yes'," she said.

Her mother, Zhao Qiong, who is also a nurse, didn't like the idea at first. She warned her daughter that frequently taking out her phone to shoot video footage increased the risk of the device becoming a source for transferring the novel coronavirus.

However, Hu went ahead with her project anyway.

"If the events cannot be recorded at the time, people will soon forget them," she said.

"Videos can record actions, sounds and other small details of the whole event."

None of the 25 medical staff members in Hu's department was infected with the novel coronavirus. But her boyfriend, Xia Hao, who works in a funeral home responsible for transporting bodies during the pandemic, became a COVID-19 patient.

During the day, Hu and her colleagues battled the virus at work, and at night she went to visit Xia, who was a patient in her hospital, to offer him support.

"My boyfriend's illness helped me better understand the feelings of the patients and their family members and made my videos more emotional," she said.

Hu cared for Xia for more than 40 days in an isolation ward.

Now the couple are preparing for their wedding later this year.

After being on the front line of the fight against COVID-19, Hu said she now cherishes life more. "I hope to have a good life together with my boyfriend in the future," she said.