Coronavirus kills whistleblower doctor Li Wenliang
Doctor was interrogated by Chinese police after he raised the alarm
The Chinese doctor who raised the alarm on coronavirus two weeks before it was officially confirmed has died from the infection, the Wuhan Central Hospital has announced.
In a statement on social media, the hospital said: “Our ophthalmologist Li Wenliang was infected during the fight of the epidemic of the new coronavirus pneumonia, and died at 2:58am on the morning of February 7, despite the fact that we had tried our best to resuscitate him.”
After Li warned colleagues in December about a mysterious virus that would become the coronavirus epidemic, he was detained by police in Wuhan on 3 January for “spreading false rumours”.
Subscribe to The Week
Escape your echo chamber. Get the facts behind the news, plus analysis from multiple perspectives.
Sign up for The Week's Free Newsletters
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
He was forced to sign a police document to admit he had breached the law and had “seriously disrupted social order”.
Then, last weekend, he announced on social media that he had caught the virus. He wrote: “The test results came out positive today. Everything is settled. It is confirmed.”
As he battled the disease, he shared documents online and carried out interviews through text message, “helping reporters piece together an alarming picture of official incompetence and negligence in the very period when containment might have been most possible,” says The Guardian.
The Times said he had become a “national hero” and the Supreme People’s Court, China’s highest judicial authority, has since published an account criticising the Wuhan police for their treatment of Dr Li and other whistleblowers.
Guan Hanfeng, an orthopaedic specialist at Tongji Hospital, Wuhan, and Luo Yu, a former classmate, led the tributes to Dr Li last night. “The Wuhan government owes Dr Li Wenliang an apology,” Ms Luo wrote on social media.
Michael Ryan, executive director of the World Health Organisation’s emergencies programme, said: “We are deeply saddened by the passing of Dr Li Wenliang. We all need to celebrate work that he did.”
Dr Li had a wife and child, with a second child due this summer. Before he fell ill, he said: “If the officials had disclosed information about the epidemic earlier I think it would have been a lot better. There should have been more openness and transparency.”
Even the announcement of his passing was messy. Several state media outlets reported Li's death late last night but then deleted them without explanation. The hospital later confirmed he had died.
As CNN puts it: “China’s censors tried to control the narrative on a hero doctor’s death. It backfired terribly.”
–––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––For a round-up of the most important stories from around the world - and a concise, refreshing and balanced take on the week’s news agenda - try The Week magazine. Start your trial subscription today –––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––
Create an account with the same email registered to your subscription to unlock access.
Sign up for Today's Best Articles in your inbox
A free daily email with the biggest news stories of the day – and the best features from TheWeek.com
-
How can you save on homeowners insurance?
The Explainer With the rise in extreme weather, house protection is a non-negotiable
By Becca Stanek, The Week US Published
-
Donald Trump is downplaying his position on abortion
The Explainer He says it's a state issue, but opponents have concerns
By Joel Mathis, The Week US Published
-
5 spellbinding new books to read in October. Witches and colonization tales included.
The Week Recommends Ta-Nehisi Coates shines a light on Palestine, and Louise Erdrich takes us to North Dakota
By Theara Coleman, The Week US Published
-
Covid-19: what to know about UK's new Juno and Pirola variants
in depth Rapidly spreading new JN.1 strain is 'yet another reminder that the pandemic is far from over'
By Arion McNicoll, The Week UK Published
-
Vallance diaries: Boris Johnson 'bamboozled' by Covid science
Speed Read Then PM struggled to get his head around key terms and stats, chief scientific advisor claims
By The Week UK Published
-
Good health news: seven surprising medical discoveries made in 2023
In Depth A fingerprint test for cancer, a menopause patch and the shocking impacts of body odour are just a few of the developments made this year
By The Week Staff Published
-
How serious a threat is new Omicron Covid variant XBB.1.5?
feature The so-called Kraken strain can bind more tightly to ‘the doors the virus uses to enter our cells’
By Chas Newkey-Burden Published
-
Will new ‘bivalent booster’ head off a winter Covid wave?
Today's Big Question The jab combines the original form of the Covid vaccine with a version tailored for Omicron
By The Week Staff Published
-
Neanderthal gene ‘caused up to a million Covid deaths’
Speed Read Genetic tweak found in one in six Britons means cells in the lungs are slower to launch defences
By The Week Staff Published
-
Can North Korea control a major Covid outbreak?
feature Notoriously secretive state ‘on verge of catastrophe’
By The Week Staff Last updated
-
Did Sweden’s Covid-19 experiment pay off in the end?
In Depth Scandinavian country had lower excess death rate than many but immigrants and elderly bore the brunt
By The Week Staff Last updated