A doctor from Wuhan, Hubei province, who postponed his wedding ceremony to help treat patients with the novel coronavirus, has died of the virus himself.

Peng Yinhua, 29, who had worked at the First People's Hospital of Jiangxia District, died of respiratory failure on Thursday.

The doctor and his pregnant wife had planned to have their wedding ceremony on Feb 1. Though they had registered their marriage two years ago, it is common in China to celebrate the wedding later on a special date.

But in January, when Wuhan became the center of the virus outbreak, Peng offered to return to treat patients, and put his wedding ceremony on hold.

On Jan 24, the eve of Chinese New Year, his colleagues let him rest at home and spend more time with his wife. He declined, saying he was young and should take over more work from other colleagues.

He treated more than 150 patients a day, Huanqiu.com reported.

The next day he felt unwell and was hospitalized. On Jan 30, he tested positive for the virus and was sent to a designated hospital for treatment, but his condition worsened around Feb 10.

Zhong Xin, Peng's wife, told The-Paper.cn that her husband was a great doctor, as well as a hero.

"His parents are quite emotional now and I will take care of our baby and raise him or her up in good health," Zhong said in a trembling voice.

Ling Yun, a nurse at the Wuhan Jinyintan Hospital, who had been taking care of him, said on her Sina Weibo that Peng had always been positive. "However, around Feb 10, his lungs developed acidosis and his kidneys needed dialysis. We used plasma therapy but things didn't get better," she said.

"He was too young, only 29 years old. We had always believed that he would recover... I am sorry to see what happened to him and hope his unborn baby will grow up healthy and happy."