It struck during China's busiest travel season and cast a dark shadow over the Lunar New Year.

Millions who had set out across the country to see family during the holiday had to cut their vacations short or completely change their plans after the deadly outbreak of the novel coronavirus pneumonia (COVID-19) hit the city of Wuhan in Hubei Province.

Entire families were getting infected at a rapid rate.

The "Epicenter - 24 hours in Wuhan" documentary paints a very human and compassionate story of the people fighting the outbreak in China. 

Since the outbreak began, it has infected over 70,000 people and killed at least 1,600, and the numbers continue to grow.

In Wuhan, where the novel coronavirus was first detected, the city mobilized all its resources but soon hospitals were overwhelmed with patients, while more people were enlisted to help save lives.

To halt the spread of the infection, the Chinese government put Wuhan, a city of more than 10 million residents, on lockdown. Railways, ports, and buses were shut down.

Emergency responders have been working nonstop as more people come down with symptoms of the virus. Some patients are transported to other hospitals. Others remain in their homes. Doctors and workers are dressed head-to-toe in protective covering when treating patients. The pressure is high. Many are working long shifts.

While the threat of the disease still persists throughout China and on a global scale, there is optimism. People, who survived the SARS outbreak more than 15 years ago, are following procedures to stay healthy during the COVID-19 outbreak.