The Devoted Doctor
Doctor Li Wenliang was one of eight Chinese doctors who were reprimanded by government officials for warning people in December about the viruas. He was detained by police after warning people about the new coronavirus on social media. Li’s death brought immense praise for the doctor and also fury that the Communist authorities put politics above public safety.
The ophthalmologist died overnight on February 7, 2020 at age 34, at Wuhan Central Hospital, where he worked and likely contracted the virus while treating patients in the early days of the outbreak. He became the face of simmering anger at the ruling Communist Party’s controls over information and complaints that officials lie about or hide disease outbreaks, chemical spills, or dangerous consumer products. In Wuhan, local leaders were accused of telling doctors in December not to spread news of the virus in order to avoid casting a shadow over the annual meeting of a local legislative body. As the virus spread, doctors were ordered to delete posts on social media that appealed for donations of medical supplies. That prompted complaints authorities were more worried about image than public safety.
“A hero who released information about Wuhan’s epidemic in the early stage, Dr. Li Wenliang is immortal,” the China Center for Disease Control’s chief scientist, Zeng Guang, wrote on the Sina Weibo microblog service.
The World Health Organization, which has generally praised China’s response to the outbreak, said in a tweet, “We are deeply saddened by the passing of Dr. Li Wenliang. We all need to celebrate the work that he did on the virus.”