Physician Gao Qingmei checks a patient's CT images in the makeshift hospital at the Wuhan Sports Center in Wuhan, Hubei province, on Feb 27, 2020. (WANG JING / CHINA DAILY)

Using two CT scanning machines, radiologists and technicians at a hospital in Wuhan, Hubei province, have been working around the clock to diagnose novel coronavirus infections.

The radiology department at the People's Hospital of Wuhan Dongxihu District has seen a surge in demand for testing since Feb 4, when the central government issued a notice classifying CT scan images as legitimate diagnostic tools to identify infections.

Before that, health workers relied solely on a nucleic acid test, which involved taking fluid samples, such as saliva, from a person suspected of being infected. However, a shortage of test reagents and qualified medical institutions to conduct the tests, led to computerized tomography scans being accepted.

Chen Zhiyong, deputy head of the department, said he and his colleagues felt greater responsibility after the Feb 4 notice came into effect. "Our workload has increased dramatically these days. On some days, the number of patients in our department can reach more than 500, and each of them leaves us hundreds of images to scan," he said.

Chen said severe infection cases are easy to identify as in the majority of such cases the lungs appear white. However, it is more difficult to diagnose patients with mild symptoms as their lungs have a "ground glass "opacity of a few millimeters.

"The 17 radiologists in our department keep their eyes wide open when looking at tens of thousands of images every day to make sure no sign of infection goes undetected," he said.

He said they are confident that there are no misdiagnoses as the features of the novel coronavirus are clearly different to other diseases.

A patient needs to undergo at least two CT scans for the result to be confirmed. This makes the job of Yin Chang, an X-ray technician, much busier.

"I am so busy that I don't have time to panic even though I come into close contact with suspected cases every day," Yin said.

His job is to position patients correctly on the scanner's bed. He needs to lift some elderly patients onto the bed and adjust their position.

Yin only has six hours off each day, from noon to 6 pm. To avoid constantly getting in and out of his protective clothing, he tries not to drink water to reduce the need to urinate. He said when he doesn't get enough rest, he suffers from headaches and a lack of oxygen.

However, Yin is adamant he will stay firm in his post and try his best to comfort the patients.

"While waiting for their results, some patients anxiously ask me about their illness. I totally understand their position, but I am not a radiologist and am unable to give them a definitive answer," he said. "I can just reassure them that their results will come out soon because our department runs 24 hours a day."

Seeing the duress Yin and his colleagues are under, many patients are quick to offer a sincere thank you.

"I have received more thanks in recent days than in the past eight years," Yin said.

Contact the writers at lihongyang@chinadaily.com.cn