Presales of the English edition of a journal by a Chinese doctor who worked on the frontlines of the fight against COVID-19 have started on e-commerce site Amazon.com, Shanghai Jiao Tong University Press announced on Thursday.

The publisher said that the book, titled Dr. Zha's Diary on Fighting the COVID-19, will help people around the world better understand China's experience in handling the pandemic.

The book contains 68 days' worth of diary entries by Dr. Zha Qiongfang, who works at the respiratory medicine department at Renji Hospital Affiliated with the Shanghai Jiao Tong University School of Medicine.

Zha was a member of the first contingent of Shanghai medical workers that was dispatched to aid Wuhan during the outbreak.

Li Dan, assistant to the director of the publisher, said that several internationally renowned publishing houses have expressed interest in publishing the book in foreign languages after the Chinese version of the book was unveiled in April.

Naturalogic Publishing Inc, a Canada-based publisher which specializes in medicine and science books, was eventually selected to produce the English version.

"The book reminds us that humankind must unite in the fight against the virus' spread. We should learn collaboration, courage and enthusiasm from the Chinese and contribute to the global fight in one way or another," said Peter Gaviorno, director of Naturalogic Publishing Inc.

Zha said she initially only wanted to record her thoughts and feelings for herself.

"But when the diaries were complied into a book, I felt they somehow provided the perspective of a frontline doctor about how the Chinese had pulled together to bring the epidemic under control within around three months," she explained.

Shanghai Jiao Tong University Press said that the Vietnamese, Thai and Hindi versions of the book have completed the copyright process. The publisher also has plans to reproduce the book in Japanese and Russian.