文亮 李 (1986 - 2020)

Born 12 Oct 1986 in 中國遼寧錦州北寧市

Died 7 Feb 2020 at age 33 in 中國湖北武漢市

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Biography

文亮 李 is Notable.

文亮 李 has Chinese Roots.

Note to English readers: Chinese names are written with surname first and given name last.

An only child, ^[1]Li Wenliang was born in Beizhen, Liaoning on 12 October 1986. He attended Beizhen High School and attained a score of 609 in the National College Entrance Examination in 2004. After earning the degree of Master of Medicine from Wuhan University School of Medicine, Dr. Li worked at Xiamen University's eye center from 2011 to 2014, and from the latter year as an ophthalmologist at Wuhan Central Hospital in Hubei Province, Central China.

On 30 December 2019, Dr. Li warned his colleagues via WeChat about a previously unknown disease, coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19), caused by a virus now known as severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2).^[2]. Despite his request to keep the message confidential, the warnings he sent were quickly disseminated. On 3 January 2020, Wuhan's local police summoned him and gave him a warning for "making false comments on the Internet."

"I think a healthy society should not have only one voice." – Dr. Li Wenliang, in his last interview with Caixin on 30 January 2020

On January 8, 2020, just nine days after sending the messages that prompted government attention, Dr. Li developed a fever and was diagnosed with pneumonia. He began staying in a hotel room in order to avoid exposing his family to the virus after discovering that a patient whom he had seen on 07 January 2020, had tested positive for SARS-CoV-2. Despire his efforts, his parents contracted the virus but later recovered. Dr. Li's condition detieriorated, resulting in hospital admission on 12 January 2020. He was diagnosed with COVID-19 on 01 February 2020 and continued to post updates about his condition from his hospital bed. Dr. Li gained a worldwide following, resulting in tens of millions of people learning his story and mourning his untimely death.

Dr. Li died in the hospital on 07 February 2020, at 34 years old. His surviving family includes his parents, one son, and his wife, who was pregnant with his second son.

Legacy

Dr. Li was quickly heralded as a hero, whistleblower, and martyr by the millions worldwide who followed his posts online. His rapid decline alerted the medical community to the severity of a virus that could place a young, healthy physician in need of invasive treatments in the intensive care unit. A photo he posted of himself wearing his white coat, badge, and a mask became a symbol of the sacrifices healthcare workers made during the pandemic. The image inspired numerous artistic renderings, including one commemorated on a postage stamp issued by the Republic of Djibouti in 2022. Forbes Magazine listed Dr. Li first in a article titled "World’s 25 Greatest Leaders: Heroes of the Pandemic."

Sources

1. ↑ Steensma, DP, Kyle, RA. Dr. Li Wenliang: Wuhan “Whistleblower” and Early COVID-19 Victim. 01 June 2022; Published 01 July 2022. Mayo Clinic Proceedings, Stamp Vignette on Medical Science. Volume 97, Issue 7, pp. 1409-1410. (https://www.mayoclinicproceedings.org/action/showPdf?pii=S0025-6196%2822%2900327-5 : Accessed 02 January 2023). DOI: https://doi.org/10.1016/j.mayocp.2022.05.033.
2. ↑ Lawrence, Susan V. COVID-19 and China: A Chronology of Events. 13 May 2020. (https://news.usni.org/2020/05/13/covid-19-and-china-a-chronology-of-events : accessed 02 January 2023).

• http://china.caixin.com/2020-02-07/101509761.html

See also:

• Wikipedia: Li Wenliang
• Wikidata: Item Q84497471, en:Wikipedia