By March 7, Zhang Huibian, a post-90s staff member at the Center for Disease Control and Prevention of Lyuliang, north China’s Shanxi province, had worked for 46 days straight in the laboratory fighting against the coronavirus outbreak.

Zhang Huibian works in the lab on March 3, 2020. (Xinhua/Yang Chenguang)

As an examiner, Zhang’s job is to check nucleic acid samples for the novel coronavirus. By March 7, she had tested 1,436 samples, with an accuracy rate of 100 percent.

Completing a test, from collecting the samples, extracting the nucleic acid, adding reagent and analyzing the results, can take at least four hours.

Sometimes, Zhang has to test several batches of suspected virus samples over the course of an entire day so that pneumonia patients can receive treatment at the earliest possible time. On Feb. 14, she worked for 20 hours, carrying out a total of four experiments.

(Xinhua/Yang Chenguang)

Zhang’s colleagues see her as hard-working, meticulous and skilful. “Each sample requires us to be responsible and avoid any kind of mistakes, which could result in serious consequences,” Zhang said.

Although the epidemic is gradually being brought under control in Lyuliang, the pressure on Zhang and her colleagues hasn’t eased. “With companies gradually resuming work and required to examine employees to ensure safety, an average of 100 samples are delivered to us every day for testing,” she said.