Patients diagnosed with the coronavirus at a temporary hospital which transformed from an exhibition centre in Wuhan in central China’s Hubei province. Picture: Chinatopix via AP/African News Agency (ANA)
Beijing – A Chinese doctor who issued an early warning about the coronavirus outbreak before it was officially recognised died of the virus on Friday, triggering a wave of public mourning and anger on social media.
Li Wenliang, an ophthalmologist at a hospital in Wuhan, the city at the epicentre of the outbreak, became one of the most visible figures in the crisis after he publicly revealed that he was one of eight people reprimanded by Wuhan police last month for “spreading rumours” about the coronavirus.
News of Li’s death became the top top-read topic on China’s microblogging site Weibo overnight on Friday, with over 1.5 billion views, and was also heavily discussed in private WeChat messaging groups, where people expressed outrage and sadness.
Some Chinese media outlets described him as a “hero who was willing to speak the truth” while other commentators posted poems, photos and drawings saluting him. The World Health Organization said on Twitter that it was “deeply saddened” by news of his death.
“Light a candle and pay tribute to the hero,” said one Weibo commentator. “You were the beam of light in the night.”