For the chess player, see Li Wenliang (chess player).
In this Chinese name, the family name is Li.
Li Wenliang
李文亮
Born
(1986-10-12)12 October 1986
Beizhen, Jinzhou, Liaoning, China
Died
7 February 2020(2020-02-07) (aged 33)
Wuhan, Hubei, China
Cause of death
COVID-19
Alma mater
Wuhan University (MMed)
Occupation
Ophthalmologist
Years active
2011–2020
Known for
Warning people about COVID-19 before it became a pandemic
Spouse
Fu Xuejie[1](付雪洁)
Children
2
Li Wenliang
Chinese
李文亮
Transcriptions
Standard Mandarin
Hanyu Pinyin
Lǐ Wénliàng
IPA
[lì wə̌n.liaŋ]
Yue: Cantonese
Jyutping
lei5 man4 loeng6
Li Wenliang (Chinese: 李文亮; 12 October 1986 – 7 February 2020) was a Chinese ophthalmologist who warned his colleagues about early COVID-19 infections in Wuhan.[2] On 30 December 2019, Wuhan CDC issued emergency warnings to local hospitals about a number of mysterious "pneumonia" cases discovered in the city in the previous week.[3] On the same day, Li, who worked at the Central Hospital of Wuhan, received an internal diagnostic report of a suspected severe acute respiratory syndrome (SARS) patient from other doctors which he in turn shared with his Wuhan University alumni through a WeChat group. He was dubbed a whistleblower when that shared report later circulated publicly, despite his messaging to his alumni WeChat group to not spread the message outside of the group with the exception to only "remind their family members and loved ones to be on the alert”, and Li did not appear to have intentions of warning the wider public.[4][5][6][7] Rumors of a deadly SARS outbreak subsequently spread on Chinese social media platforms; Wuhan police summoned and admonished him and seven other doctors on 3 January for "making false comments on the Internet about unconfirmed SARS outbreak."[4][8]
The outbreak was later confirmed not to be SARS, but rather a new coronavirus, SARS-CoV-2. Li returned to work and later contracted COVID-19, the disease caused by the virus, from a patient who was not known to be infected. He died from the disease on 7 February 2020, at age 33.[9][10] A subsequent Chinese official inquiry exonerated him; Wuhan police formally apologized to his family and revoked his admonishment on 19 March.[11][12][13][14] In April 2020, Li was posthumously awarded the May Fourth Medal by the government.[15] By early June 2020, five more doctors from the Wuhan hospital had died from COVID-19.[16]
^Lew, Linda (9 February 2020). "Coronavirus: mother of whistle-blower Li Wenliang demands answers for his treatment by Wuhan police". South China Morning Post. Archived from the original on 19 March 2020. Retrieved 21 March 2020.
^"The Chinese doctor who tried to warn others about coronavirus". BBC News. 6 February 2020. Retrieved 12 December 2021.
^"武汉疾控证实:当地现不明原因肺炎病人,发病数在统计". The Beijing News. The Beijing News Press. Archived from the original on 20 April 2021. Retrieved 13 May 2020.
^ abTan, Jianxing (31 January 2020). 新冠肺炎"吹哨人"李文亮:真相最重要. Caixin (in Chinese). Archived from the original on 31 January 2020. Retrieved 6 February 2020.
^"Who was Li Wenliang and how did he become a coronavirus 'hero'". South China Morning Post. 7 February 2020. Retrieved 10 June 2024.
^武汉肺炎:一个敢于公开疫情的"吹哨人"李文亮. BBC News 中文 (in Chinese). 4 February 2020. Archived from the original on 19 February 2020. Retrieved 6 February 2020.
^"Q&A: Whistleblower Doctor Who Died Fighting Coronavirus Only Wanted People to 'Know the Truth' - Caixin Global". www.caixinglobal.com. Retrieved 10 June 2024.
^"Coronavirus 'kills Chinese whistleblower doctor'". BBC News. 6 February 2020. Archived from the original on 6 February 2020. Retrieved 6 February 2020.
^Zhou, Cissy (7 February 2020). "Coronavirus: Whistleblower Dr Li Wenliang confirmed dead of the disease at 34, after hours of chaotic messaging from hospital". South China Morning Post. Archived from the original on 7 February 2020. Retrieved 7 February 2020.
^武汉中心医院:李文亮经抢救无效去世 (in Chinese). Sina Corp. 7 February 2020. Archived from the original on 7 February 2020. Retrieved 7 February 2020.
^"Chinese inquiry exonerates coronavirus whistleblower doctor". The Guardian. 21 March 2020. Archived from the original on 20 March 2020. Retrieved 21 March 2020.
^"Virus whistleblower doctor punished 'inappropriately': Chinese probe". The Economic Times. 20 March 2020. Archived from the original on 21 March 2020. Retrieved 21 March 2020.
^Ian Collier (20 March 2020). "Coronavirus: China apologises to family of doctor who died after warning about COVID-19". Sky News. Archived from the original on 20 March 2020. Retrieved 21 March 2020.
^"武汉警方:撤销对李文亮医生的训诫书,向其家属郑重道歉". 上观新闻. Retrieved 7 September 2021.
^"李文亮、夏思思、彭银华等33人被追授中国青年五四奖章". 中国青年报. Archived from the original on 20 April 2020. Retrieved 7 September 2021.
^Kuo, Lily (3 June 2020). "'Sacrificed': anger in China over death of Wuhan doctor from coronavirus". The Guardian. ISSN 0261-3077. Retrieved 3 June 2020.
LiWenliang (Chinese: 李文亮; 12 October 1986 – 7 February 2020) was a Chinese ophthalmologist who warned his colleagues about early COVID-19 infections...
Pneumonia (不明武汉肺炎)" and "SARS outbreak in Wuhan (爆发SARS疫情)." On 30 December, LiWenliang released a message in a WeChat group, saying that "seven cases of SARS...
"武汉肺炎:一个敢于公开疫情的"吹哨人"李文亮". BBC Chinese. February 4, 2020. Retrieved February 6, 2020. "LiWenliang: Coronavirus kills Chinese whistleblower doctor". BBC News. February...
valuable user contributions. The following month, Metaculus introduced the LiWenliang prize, which awards a number of different monetary prizes to questions...
diagnostic report was shared on WeChat by an ophthalmologist at the hospital, LiWenliang. The image was then circulated on the internet, leading Ai Fen to be...
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professor Guofang Li (born 1972), Chinese-Canadian professor of education Runze Li (born c. 1970s), American statistician and professor LiWenliang (李文亮; 1986-2020)...
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showing the state's instructions to local media regarding the death of LiWenliang. The documents address news organizations and social media platforms...
Award. LiWenliang "Doctor who exposed Sars cover-up is under house arrest in China, family confirms". TheGuardian.com. February 9, 2020. Yuan, Li (January...
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Robinson, American baseball player, coach, and manager (b. 1935) 2020 – LiWenliang, Chinese ophthalmologist who initially warned about COVID-19 (b. 1986)...
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