Coronavirus Kills Chinese Doctor

Li Wenliang, a Chinese doctor who tried to raise awareness on the deadly coronavirus from the early days of the outbreak, died from the pathogen on Friday, sparking waves of collective anger and grief rarely seen on Chinese social media.

Li was among the first to claim that the troubling new viral infection originating in China could get out of control; but in early January he was called in by authorities to forcefully sign a statement rendering his warnings unfounded, ‘illegal rumors.’

The Chinese doctor later contracted the disease from a patient with glaucoma, who no one knew was carrying the coronavirus. On January 10, Li started feeling sick, struggling with the worsening symptoms over the rest of the month.

Li Wenliang died at 2:58 am, Wuhan Central Hospital said in a post on Chinese social media platform Weibo.

“We profoundly regret and mourn this death,” the Wuhan City central hospital said in its statement. Dr. Li “had the misfortune to be infected during the fight against the novel coronavirus pneumonia epidemic, and all-out efforts to save him failed,” the Wuhan City Central Hospital added. “We express our deep regret and condolences.”

More than 28,000 people have tested positive for the virus. The vast majority of cases are in China. Chinese state television today claimed the death toll has risen to 618 people. 

Dr. Li’s death has also exposed a disquieting aspect of the epidemic that remains vague in official statistics: the number of doctors, nurses and medical workers infected by the pneumonia-like virus.