The Chinese Doctor Silenced for Coronavirus Warnings Dies

By Skylar Wolfe

A Chinese doctor who had tried to warn the public about the coronavirus died between Thursday night and Friday morning at the Wuhan Central Hospital after contracting the virus, BBC said.  

According to The Washington Post, Li Wenliang was a 34-year-old ophthalmologist who had tried to alert people to the dangers of the coronavirus in December. Authorities censored Wenliang's posts and detained him Jan. 1 for spreading rumors. Authorities released him two days later and forced him to sign a document admitting to making false statements.  He returned to work at the hospital immediately following his release.

Wenliang shared on social media that he had officially been diagnosed with the coronavirus on Saturday, The Washington Post said.  His parents are currently in the hospital for a fever, but it is unknown whether they, or Wenliang's pregnant wife and young child, have contracted the virus. 

Wenliang's classmates and community grieve his loss, and several people are questioning whether the outbreak would have played out differently had he not been silenced. According to the BBC, China has reported 28,000 confirmed cases, though scientists estimate that the actual number could be 10 times higher.  The US has reported 12 cases of the coronavirus.