One of the first Chinese doctors who tried to warn the world about a new coronavirus died on Friday from the illness, as Beijing declared a “people’s war” on the fast-spreading outbreak, Trend reports citing Reuters.
Li Wenliang, 34, was an ophthalmologist at a hospital in Wuhan, the city hardest hit by the outbreak. He and seven others were reprimanded by Wuhan police last month for spreading “illegal and false” information about the coronavirus.
Li had told a group of doctors on Chinese social media about seven cases he saw and posted a picture of a test result in an effort to help other doctors.
As the death toll in mainland China jumped by 73 to 563, with more than 28,000 infections, President Xi Jinping sought to reassure his citizens and the world that China would beat the coronavirus.