Wuhan Central Hospital confirmed on Friday that Li Wenliang, the ophthalmology specialist who first opened up about the potential risks of the Wuhan coronavirus on humanity, passed away before dawn.
Li Wenliang's Death Spurs Confusion and Anger
According to CNN, there have been an outpouring of both anger and grief among netizens following the confirmation about Li's passing, especially after there were previous confusing statements from local media about the whistleblowing doctor's true condition.
In a statement regarding Li's death, the Wuhan hospital said Li passed away "at 2:58 am on Feb 7 after attempts to resuscitate were unsuccessful." Days before the announcement, a photo of Li under oxygen treatment was spread online.
Li was infected with the novel virus while caring for patients at the Wuhan Central Hospital. The night before his death, reports emerged stating that he already passed away. However, the hospital where he worked at clarified that he was still alive but in grave condition.
Finally, on Friday morning, the hospital confirmed his passing, but Chinese netizens expressed disappointment over the emergence of conflicting news earlier in the night.
Even the World Health Organization (WHO) appeared confused about the earlier reports on Li's health condition. The agency expressed condolences after the first reports came out but when Wuhan Central Hospital's clarification was released, the organization said it was unaware of the whistleblower doctor's true state.
People wearing masks attend a vigil for late Li Wenliang, an ophthalmologist who died of coronavirus at a hospital in Wuhan, in Hong Kong, China February 7, 2020.
The Tragic Story of Wuhan's Whistleblower
Many did not know li before he warned fellow doctors on a group chat that a coronavirus strain can pose serious health threats to China and other countries. According to The Guardian, Li's whistleblowing moment happened in December, when the first seven people were quarantined.
Days after Li sent the warning; security officials came to his house, accusing him of "making false comments." He was also asked to sign a document stating that he will no longer discuss the new virus strain at any time.
Despite experiencing some symptoms of the coronavirus earlier last month, Li went on to tell people about his experiences during the early days of the outbreak in the origin city of Wuhan. Li's defiance eventually forced the central government to admit that there may have been mishandling of the outbreak when the virus first emerged.
Wuhan Coronavirus Quick Timeline
China first alerted the WHO regarding pneumonia cases in Wuhan, a city in the central Hubei province, on December 31. At that time, it was unclear what type of virus the mysterious strain was.
Chinese authorities shut down the Huanan Seafood Wholesale Market on January 1, following confirmation that some of the people infected with the new virus were working at the said market, Aljazeera reported.
The WHO said on January 7 that a new virus has been identified and was named 2019-nCoV. The virus was categorized under the coronavirus family, and on January 11, China officially announced the first death from the Wuhan strain.
Since then cases have been recorded in other Asian countries, with patient numbers rising by the week in China. From January 17, western countries have since been reporting infections.
As of February 7, there have been 618 deaths in the Hubei province and in the whole of China, the death stands at over 630. It remains to be seen whether treatments being testing by Chinese and foreign researchers will be effective in the long run.
