Coronavirus Whistle-Blower Doctor Of China Dies, People Outraged

Beijing: Doctor Li, who worked in a Wuhan hospital, was declared dead at 2.58 a.m. on Friday morning by Wuhan Central Hospital, just days after he said he was infected with coronavirus.

Li was one of the whistle-blowers who alerted his friends about the outbreak last December, and was reprimanded by police for spreading inaccurate information.

Internet censorship was toughened in response to the outrage, with many posts on social media platforms Weibo and WeChat expressing anger and criticism of government officials quickly deleted, the SCMP said.

In a statement, the Wuhan government said: “We express our deep condolences and regrets! We pay tribute to his sticking to the front line in fighting the epidemic, and offer our sincere condolences to his family.”

The development comes as the toll in China due to the fast-spreading virus increased to 636, with 31,161 confirmed cases, China’s National Health Commission said on Friday morning.

Inputs From: IANS