Li Wenliang Bio-Wiki, Age, Death, Family, Wife, and Coronavirus

Who is Li Wenliang?

Li Wenliang was a Chinese ophthalmologist at Wuhan Central Hospital who died of coronavirus on 7th February 2020. He is best known as the first whistleblower to attempt to warn the public of the outbreak.

Wenliang first issued his warning about the 2019–20 Wuhan coronavirus outbreak, on 30 December 2019. He was summoned by the Wuhan police on 3rd January 2020 and admonished for “making false comments on the Internet.”

He returned to work but later contracted the virus from an infected patient. On 7th February 2020, Li died from the infection.

Li Wenliang Age

Wenliang died aged 33 on 7th February 2020 in Wuhan, Hubei, China. He was born on 12th October 1986 in Beizhen, Liaoning, China

Li Wenliang Family

No information is shared regarding Li’s family background. Details about his parents and siblings are not revealed.

Li Wenliang Education

Wenliang studied clinical medicine at Wuhan University for seven years from 2004. It is from there he acquired his Master of Medicine degree. He then worked in Xiamen, Fujian, for three years.

A photo of Li Wenliang
A photo of Li Wenliang

He later returned to Wuhan to work as an ophthalmologist at Wuhan Central hospital where he worked until his death.

Li Wenliang Wife

Wenliang was a married man and has one child with his wife. At the time of his death, his wife was expectant with their second child.

Li Wenliang Coronavirus

In December 2019, Li posted in his medical school alumni group on the Chinese messaging app WeChat that seven patients from a local seafood market had been diagnosed with a SARS-like illness. He further said that they were quarantined in the hospital he worked in Wuhan.

He later posted the message and was accused of rumor-mongering by the Wuhan police. On 3 January, Zhangnan Street Police Station of the Wuhan Public Security Bureau, Wuchang Branch warned and admonished Li for “making false comments on the Internet”. The police officers there asked him to sign on an exhortation letter.

Wenliang contracted the coronavirus on 8th January when he saw an infected patient at the hospital. He later developed a fever and cough on 10 January which soon became severe. Wenliang was later admitted to intensive care on 12th January where he was quarantined and given treatment. As a result of a shortage of test kits for the novel coronavirus, a definitive diagnosis of the infection was not made until 1 February.

Reportedly, many of his colleagues and family members have also contracted the virus.

Li Wenliang Death

On February 7, Wuhan hospital confirmed Wenliang’s death in a statement. “Our hospital’s ophthalmologist Li Wenliang was unfortunately infected with coronavirus during his work in the fight against the coronavirus epidemic,” the hospital said. “He died at 2:58 am on Feb 7 after attempts to resuscitate were unsuccessful.”

The World Health Organization posted a tweet that it was “deeply saddened by the passing of Dr. Li Wenliang” and “we all need to celebrate work that he did on #2019nCoV”.