Xu's team, from The Second Xiangya Hospital of Central South University in Changsha, capital of Hunan, began treating the first group of patients, who arrived before dawn on Feb 5. By 7:30 am, there were 328 patients.

On the first day, an elderly woman burst into tears when she was told to arrange for a relative to bring her some necessities. She said she had lost her husband to the virus and her son was still in an intensive care unit, so she was on her own. Her plight silenced patients in the ward, before they, too, began sobbing.

The patients, accommodated in wards divided by boards, do not know their health status and are all under immense stress.

On arrival, Xu, who was appointed vice-president responsible for medical treatment at the makeshift institution, contacted his hospital in Changsha to suggest that psychological counseling services be provided for the patients and medical workers in Wuhan.

When he visited patients, he saw that they became stressed and even agitated in an unfamiliar environment, complained about living conditions and were worried that they would not be treated properly.