Wuhan Residents Honour Covid-19 'Whistleblower' Doctor Li Wenliang a Year After His Death
Wuhan Residents Honour Covid-19 'Whistleblower' Doctor Li Wenliang a Year After His Death
A year after his death from COVID-19, residents in the Chinese city of Wuhan say they remain grateful to the “whistleblower” doctor who first sounded the alarm about the outbreak before it received official recognition. Photo: Reuters
Li Wenliang, an ophthalmologist at a hospital in the city, became one of the most visible figures in the early days of the outbreak in Wuhan when he tried to sound the alarm about its appearance, but was reprimanded by police for “spreading rumours.” Photo: AFP
The 34-year-old’s death from the virus on Feb. 7 led to an outpouring of public mourning and rare expressions of anger online. Several days later Zhong Nanshan, a renowned epidemiologist, shed tears for Li in an interview with Reuters, calling him a “hero of China.” But when President Xi Jinping honoured the “heroes” of the “people’s war” against the virus in September, there was no mention of Li’s contribution. Photo: Reuters
While people on the streets around Li’s hospital say life in the city has mostly returned to its usual rhythm, they still revere Li for his actions. “He was the first to tell us about the virus,” said Li Pan, 24, who owns an online store. Photo: Reuters
The Chinese public embraced Li, whose presence online had painted a picture of an ordinary person. His wife was pregnant and he was soon to be a father. He sent the “rumor” because he wanted to warn others. The public also watched as he fell ill with the disease he was warning them about, eventually worsened, and died. Photo: AP
Residents visiting the Wuhan Central Hospital offer flowers in memory of Li Wenliang, the whistleblower doctor who sounded the alarm and was reprimanded by local police for it in the early days of Wuhan's pandemic, prior to the anniversary of his death, in central China's Hubei province, Saturday, Feb. 6, 2021. Dr. Li Wenliang died in the early hours of Feb. 7 from the virus first detected in this Chinese city. A small stream of people marked the anniversary at the hospital. The 34-year-old became a beloved figure and a potent symbol in China after it was revealed that he was one the whistleblowers who authorities had punished early for “spreading rumors” about a SARS-like virus. (AP Photo/Ng Han Guan)
