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Doctor Who Tried to Warn of Outbreak Is Near Death From Coronavirus Chinese Doctor Who Tried to Warn of Outbreak Is Near Death From Coronavirus
(about 1 hour later)
WUHAN, China — A doctor who was among the first to warn about the coronavirus outbreak — only to be silenced by the police — was clinging to life on Friday after having become infected, the hospital treating him reported. WUHAN, China — A doctor who was among the first to warn about the coronavirus outbreak, only to be silenced by the police, was clinging to life on Friday after himself becoming infected with the virus, the hospital treating him reported.
The Wuhan City Central Hospital said in a post at about 12:45 a.m. on Friday on its official account on the Chinese social media site, Weibo, that it was still trying to save the doctor, Li Wenliang, and that he was in critical condition. The Wuhan City Central Hospital said in a post about 12:45 a.m. Friday on the Chinese social media site Weibo that it was still trying to save the doctor, Li Wenliang. But his condition, it said, was critical.
Other Chinese news reports said, without clear sourcing, that Dr. Li, 34, was already dead. The World Health Organization issued a message of condolence on Twitter, without specifying the source of its information. Some Chinese news reports said, without clear sourcing, that Dr. Li, 34, was already dead. The World Health Organization issued a message of condolence on Twitter, but also did not specify the source of its information.
The New York Times wrote about the doctor on Feb. 1, documenting his efforts to alert colleagues about patient illnesses that resembled Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome or SARS, the deadly coronavirus affliction that ravaged China nearly two decades ago. The New York Times wrote about the doctor on Feb. 1, documenting his efforts to alert colleagues about an alarming cluster of illnesses that resembled Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome or SARS, an earlier coronavirus that ravaged China nearly two decades ago. The article also reported Dr. Li’s middle-of-the-night summons by unhappy health officials.
The reports of Dr. Li’s death triggered an outpouring of messages on the Chinese internet that lionized him as a hero for having stood up against officials who tried to downplay the spreading epidemic that has engulfed Wuhan, spilled across China and ignited an international health crisis. “If the officials had disclosed information about the epidemic earlier,” Dr. Li told The Times. “I think it would have been a lot better. There should be more openness and transparency.”
Dr. Li’s fate is a singularly delicate issue for the Chinese government, which has tried to fight back against the coronavirus, while also stifling widespread criticism that officials have delayed and mismanaged the government’s response to the initial outbreak in Wuhan, a city of 11 million in central China’s Hubei Province. Dr. Li’s fate is a singularly delicate issue for the Chinese government. Even as officials battle the epidemic, they have tried to stifle widespread criticism that they mismanaged their response to the initial outbreak in Wuhan, a city of 11 million in central China’s Hubei Province.
Updated Feb. 5, 2020Updated Feb. 5, 2020
Jiemian, a Chinese news website, was among those that reported Dr. Li’s death, citing the doctor’s classmates. After falling ill from an infection of the coronavirus, he had made a turn for the better but then relapsed, the report said. Global Times, another Chinese news service, also reported Dr. Li’s death. The reports of Dr. Li’s death set off an outpouring of messages on the Chinese internet that lionized him as a hero who stood up to officials trying to play down a medical threat that came to engulf Wuhan, spill across China and ignite an international health crisis.
Some of the reports of his death were taken down. After the hospital clarified that Dr. Li was in fact still alive, people began posting comments of support. The doctor has one child, and he and his wife are expecting a second in the summer.
Dr. Li was questioned by hospital officials and the police in early January after he warned a circle of medical school classmates on Dec. 30 about a viral outbreak that he said appeared similar to SARS. The police compelled him to sign a statement denouncing his warning as an unfounded and illegal rumor. “Not sleeping!!! Waiting online for a miracle,” said one comment under the hospital’s statement on Weibo. “We don’t need to sleep tonight, but Li Wenliang must rise.”
Soon, however, Dr. Li’s warning was vindicated as growing numbers of residents in Wuhan fell ill with fever and pneumonia symptoms after infection with the virus. Dr. Li himself fell ill with pneumonia, and early this month was confirmed to be among the thousands of Wuhan residents who have contracted the new coronavirus. In recent days, China has stepped up censorship after a rush of online criticism and investigative reports by emboldened Chinese journalists exposing the missteps that led the government to underestimate the threat of the coronavirus.
Jiemian, a Chinese news website, was among those that reported Dr. Li’s death, citing the doctor’s classmates. After falling ill from the coronavirus infection, the report said, Dr. Li took a turn for the better — but then relapsed. Global Times, another Chinese news service, also reported his death.
Some of the reports have since been taken down.
In early January, Dr. Li was questioned by hospital officials and the police after he warned a circle of medical school classmates on Dec. 30 about a viral outbreak that he said appeared similar to SARS. The police compelled him to sign a statement denouncing his warning as an unfounded and illegal rumor.
Dr. Li was soon vindicated as more and more Wuhan residents fell ill with fever and pneumonia symptoms. They eventually grew to over 10,000 — and Dr. Li was among their number. He had pneumonia.
An ophthalmologist, Dr. Li he had contracted the virus from one of his patients.
“I think a healthy society should not have just one voice,” he recently told Caixin, a Chinese magazine that has reported aggressively on the epidemic.
In recent interviews, Dr. Li sounded hopeful about overcoming the illness and going back to work.
“After I recover, I still want to return to the front line,” he told The Southern Metropolis Daily, a Chinese newspaper. “The epidemic is still spreading, and I don’t want to be a deserter.”
Elsie Chen contributed research from Wuhan. Li Yuan and Cao Li contributed reporting from Hong Kong. Claire Fu, Wang Yiwei and Amber Wang contributed research from Beijing.Elsie Chen contributed research from Wuhan. Li Yuan and Cao Li contributed reporting from Hong Kong. Claire Fu, Wang Yiwei and Amber Wang contributed research from Beijing.