Chinese Doctor Who Alerted To The Coronavirus Dies

2024 Author: Steven Freeman | [email protected]. Last modified: 2023-12-17 08:15

The doctor who tried to alert authorities and residents of Wuhan, China of the appearance of the coronavirus outbreak has died from the disease.

According to The Washington Post, ophthalmologist Li Wenliang was working at Wuhan Central Hospital when the disease began to spread. The 34-year-old doctor was one of the first professionals to warn of the danger of the new virus in late December, before the Chinese government publicly reported the situation.

For sounding the alarm, the doctor was arrested by the authorities for spreading "rumors" after his warning reached social media. Two days after his arrest, he was released on the condition that he accept that he made "untrue statements" and promise not to commit "illegal acts," according to CNN.

After regaining his freedom, Li returned to his job at the hospital, where he cared for patients with respiratory problems while authorities continued to conceal the spread of the virus and claimed that reports of the virus were rumors that should not be taken into account. It wasn't until January 7 that they finally accepted the outbreak in public.

Already with the coronavirus recognized as an epidemic, the doctor began to cough on January 10, so he was admitted to the hospital the next day. Three weeks later he was diagnosed with the virus.

Despite the treatment, he passed away on Thursday leaving a young son and a pregnant wife. It is not yet known whether they also carry the virus.

So far, the coronavirus has infected about 30,000 people worldwide, most in China, while 12 cases have been found in the United States. The death toll stood at 634 patients this Thursday afternoon, according to CBS.