Chen Peixiang monitors a patient’s vital signs. (PHOTO PROVIDED TO CHINA DAILY)

Chen Peixiang has never nursed so many elderly people at the same time. All were infected with the COVID-19 virus and most couldn’t take care of themselves, and needed help in dealing with almost every aspect of life — from eating to sleeping, and defecating.

This is what the about 300 members of the mainland medical team have faced since they arrived in Hong Kong on March 16 and soon afterwards started working at the community treatment facility at AsiaWorld-Expo to help look after hundreds of omicron patients amid the city’s fifth wave of COVID-19 outbreak.

Most patients I care for are unable to speak ... I can tell from their facial expressions that their condition has improved thanks to the care of the medical workers.

Chen Peixiang, nurse-in-charge of the Third Affiliated Hospital of Sun Yat-Sen University in Guangzhou

Chen has a wealth of experience in dealing with COVID-19 patients as the hospital she works for, the Third Affiliated Hospital of Sun Yat-Sen University in Guangzhou, is designated to treat virus infections. But the veteran nurse-in-charge says the situation in AsiaWorld-Expo is challenging.

Many of the elderly patients admitted to the isolation facility are over 80 years old. Some have got bedsores after lying in bed for too long. Some have developed incontinence problems.

Chen has dealt with many cases of fecal incontinence during her daily rounds. With the help of another nurse, she removes solid or liquid excrement from the patients’ anus with a cotton swab, or occasionally with her fingers. Then, she cleans their body and changes the bedsheets if necessary. After that, she assists them to lie down in a comfortable position.

Helping the patients to defecate sometimes gives her new ideas. She might suggest that the patient tries a professional abdominal massage exercise every day, to help them digest and defecate better.

Besides taking care of the patients’ health, the medical staff also help to ease stress and anxiety. Chen often explains the patients’ health conditions to them and answers any questions which may arise.

The medical team works round the clock in shifts of four hours to five hours’ duration. Sometimes Chen does a shift in the early hours of the morning. Once they enter the facility clad in a protective suit, the staff need to work until the shift is finished. They can’t drink or eat halfway through. After work every day, they will be ferried to a designated hotel to rest.

With the concerted efforts of Hong Kong and Chinese mainland medical workers, the city has contained its worst wave of COVID-19 outbreak, and many patients have been discharged from AsiaWorld-Expo. Currently there are only about 70 patients.

Most patients that Chen cares for are unable to speak, she said. But she said she can tell from their facial expressions that their condition has improved thanks to the care of the medical workers.

Some patients send cards and flower baskets later to thank the medical staff, especially those from the Chinese mainland.

Chen’s younger daughter has little idea where her mom is or what she is doing now. Chen had never been to Hong Kong before. After the pandemic, she hopes to bring her family back for a visit and to fully enjoy the city’s charms.