A Shanghai doctor's poem which pays tribute to medical workers helping to combat the COVID-19 outbreak was published by an international academic journal on Tuesday.

Titled "Fighting the Novel Coronavirus Together With You", the English poem is the first piece of literature by a Chinese doctor that is published in the United States-based journal Chest, one of the most influential academic journals in the field of respiratory and critical illness.

Li Jia, author of the poem and a physician from the department of rheumatology at Renji Hospital Affiliated with Shanghai Jiao Tong University School of Medicine, said that she came up with the idea of creating the poem in Chinese and English in late January, when Shanghai had sent three batches of medical workers to Wuhan, Hubei province.

Li submitted the manuscript and learned that it was accepted by the journal on Feb 1.

"Today, everyone in the world is making efforts in the battle against COVID-19 and we can feel a warmth when seeing doctors and nurses throughout the countries working against time to save lives," said Li.

Fighting the novel coronavirus together with you

This winter was too long

Why was the cloud blocking the sun?

This winter was too cold

You left your home

You were too hurried to say goodbye to your son

Worrying about something when you turned around.

Your parents are aged

And your children are very young

You were conducting clinical trials and writing papers

But you have made a choice

To struggle for a free breath with your courage and a golden heart

I saw you in Fever Clinic and Isolation Ward

Pale, exhausted and trying so hard

You winked at me

And told me to be brave like an iron

Oh, my sisters and brothers

You are my sunshine

I am touched beyond words

I would like to share responsibility

For healing the wounded and rescuing the dying

You are Hippocratic's tagalong

I am here with you

Impressed by your sweat and strength

I believe love makes the world a better place