Doctor Wen Yongsheng (left) and driver Yang Bo stand by their ambulance in Chongqing. [Photo provided to China Daily]

Even in his sleep, Wen Yongsheng was expecting the call. It immediately woke him up. He answered it but he knew before he said a word what it was about. He jumped into action and, along with his partner, Yang Bo, donned full protective clothing.

As a doctor and driver of an ambulance, they just received a request to transfer a patient infected with the novel coronavirus to a designated hospital in Southwest China's Chongqing.

They had been trying to get some precious sleep. After all, they had been working flat out for 12 days since Jan 24, Lunar New Year's Eve.

"We have to seize every minute and second to have a rest," says Wen, a doctor with the department of the pre-hospital first aid department at the Chongqing Emergency Medical Center.

Wen said they worked for nearly 16 hours－going out for three times and transferred 14 confirmed patients to the designated hospital on Feb 2.

On Lunar New Year's Day, he "celebrated" his 40th birthday on duty.