WUHAN, March 10 (Xinhua) -- Chinese President Xi Jinping on Tuesday lauded medical workers as "the most beautiful angels" and "messengers of light and hope" while inspecting the command center of Huoshenshan Hospital in Wuhan, the epicenter of the COVID-19 outbreak.

Xi, also general secretary of the Communist Party of China Central Committee and chairman of the Central Military Commission, noted that medical staff, including military medical personnel, rushed to Hubei Province and its capital Wuhan without hesitation after the epidemic outbreak, and have made important contributions to curbing the epidemic.

The frontline medical workers have taken on the most arduous missions, Xi said, calling them "the most admirable people in the new era" who deserve the highest commendations.

Xi also called on medical staff to strengthen personal protection.