Li Wenliang, an ophthalmologist at Wuhan Central Hospital, now tells the story from his hospital bed. He learned last Saturday that he had been infected with the new strain of coronavirus – which he himself reported as soon as he realized that seven people were hospitalized and in isolation at the hospital where they worked and that the beginning of an outbreak could be there. But Li Wenliang was approached by the police who accused him of spreading rumors. Now, he too fights against this virus.
On December 30 – the day before the first case of coronavirus was officially released by China – the 34-year-old ophthalmologist sent a message to a private conversation group of fellow doctors, alerting them to the danger of the virus and asking them to use safety equipment to prevent infection. At the time, he was far from knowing that it was a new strain of coronvavirus that, a month later, would eventually kill hundreds of people.
In the message, Li Wenliang explained that seven people had arrived at the hospital where they were working – somehow with connections to the Huanan market in Wuhan – with symptoms similar to Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome (SARS). The ophthalmologist he also asked friends to notify their relatives and warn them to be careful.
Hours later, printscreens of the messages you sent – even with your name deleted – became viral on social media. Li Wenliang now tells CNN that when he saw the messages circulating, he soon realized that he would probably end up being punished: “I realized that it was already out of my control”.
What would happen. Four days after sending that message, the Wuhan police rang the bell at his home to deliver a letter and compel you to sign it. Through that document, Wenliang was accused of making “false comments” that “caused serious disturbances to the social order”. According the BBC, Li Wenliang was one of eight people the police investigated on suspicion of “spreading rumors”.
In late January, when the coronavirus was already an international emergency and the death toll was increasing day by day, the ophthalmologist published a copy of the letter on site Weibo, a kind of Chinese Twitter, and explained what had happened. According to the BBC, authorities have since apologized. Li Wenliang is now fighting the disease.
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