China coronavirus crisis deepens as whistleblower doctor dies

AFP / STR, STR
A photo of the late Doctor Li Wenliang is seen with flower bouquets at a hospital in Wuhan

A Chinese doctor who was punished after raising the alarm about China's new coronavirus died from the pathogen on Friday, sparking an outpouring of grief and anger over a worsening crisis that has now killed more than 630 people.

At least 31,000 people have now been infected by a virus that ophthalmologist Li Wenliang and colleagues first brought to light in late December.

The disease has since spread across China, prompting the government to lock down cities of tens of millions of people, and panic has spiralled around the globe as more than 240 cases have emerged in two dozen countries



AFP / STR, STR
A laboratory technician works on coronavirus samples at "Fire Eye" laboratory in Wuhan

Li, 34, died early Friday, Wuhan Central Hospital said in a post on China's Twitter-like Weibo platform, an announcement that triggered grief on social media -- over a doctor who was hailed a hero -- and anger over the government's handling of the crisis.

"He is a hero who warned others with his life," a fellow Wuhan doctor wrote on Weibo.

"Those fat officials who live on public money, may you die from a snowstorm," wrote one angry Weibo user in a comment that has since been censored.

In a sign that the criticism has shaken the Communist government, its anti-graft agency announced that it was sending a team to Wuhan to "conduct a comprehensive investigation into issues involving Dr. Li Wenliang reported by the masses".

- Death censored -

Li's death has also highlighted the enormous risks that frontline doctors have taken to treat patients in overwhelmed and under-equipped hospitals in Wuhan, the quarantined city of 11 million people where the virus emerged in December.


AFP / NOEL CELIS
A deserted street in Shanghai, as fear of the spread of the virus impacts cities across China, even those not in lockdown


Medical staff are overstretched and lack sufficient protective gear, the deputy governor of Hubei province admitted Thursday.

Li sent out a message about the new coronavirus to colleagues on December 30 in Wuhan -- the city at the epicentre of the crisis -- but was later among eight whistleblowers summoned by police for "rumour-mongering".

He later contracted the disease while treating a patient.

Censors appeared to struggle with how to deal with his death.

State-run newspaper Global Times and state broadcaster CCTV first reported on Weibo that Li had died late Thursday, only to delete their posts after the death rapidly surged to be among the top topics on the popular platform.