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Chinese Doctor Who Raised Alarm of Coronavirus Has Died

HeadlineFeb 07, 2020

The Chinese doctor who warned the government about a possible coronavirus outbreak has died after contracting the virus while working at Wuhan Central Hospital. Thirty-four-year-old ophthalmologist Li Wenliang warned his fellow medical workers about coronavirus on December 30. He was then investigated by police and accused of “making false comments.” His death has sparked a wave of anger and outrage in China, where the hashtag “We want freedom of speech” went viral on Chinese social media site Weibo Thursday. The death toll from the coronavirus has now topped 630 people in China, with more than 31,000 confirmed cases worldwide. The central Chinese government has ordered officials in Wuhan, the epicenter of the outbreak, to round up and quarantine all infected residents. Residents are being ordered to report family members who show symptoms of the virus to authorities.

Meanwhile, at least 61 people have now tested positive for coronavirus on a cruise ship that has been quarantined off the coast of Japan. At least eight of those diagnosed with the virus are Americans. The ship has thousands of people on board, including 428 Americans, and all passengers are being forced to stay in their rooms. We’ll have more on the coronavirus later in the broadcast.

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