Li Wenliang, a 34-year-old Chinese medical doctor who was the first of eight people to warn the public about the novel coronavirus, has died late last night due to the infection.
Li Wenliang who has been hailed as a national hero contracted the virus while working at Wuhan Central Hospital.
He first came in contact with the virus, after treating a glaucoma patient who at the time was not aware that he had already been infected with the deadly virus.
Dr. Li, an ophthalmologist, posted his story on Weibo from a hospital bed a month after sending out his initial warning.
He had sent out a warning to fellow medics on 30 December but police told him to stop “making false comments ”he was even apprehended by Wuhan police for spreading “rumors” earlier last month.”
He had warned his classmates in a private WeChat message about a SARS-like virus spreading in Wuhan, where the epidemic broke out.
His death has attracted millions of reactions on social media in China and across the divide, sparking a level of collective anger and grief unseen on Chinese social media
According to the National Health Commission, the latest figures show the virus has killed 636 people and infected 31,161 in mainland China.
Most of those killed by coronavirus have been over the age of 60 or have suffered from other medical conditions, according to China’s health authorities.
Some scientists have predicted that the actual rate could be 10 times higher, with the majority of infected people only presenting mild symptoms, not receiving treatment, yet passing on the potentially deadly disease.
The virus has so far spread to over 30 countries including Africa.
