Chinese doctor who blew whistle about new-virus outbreak dies

BEIJING. KAZINFORM A Chinese doctor who became an early whistleblower about the coronavirus outbreak in the central China city of Wuhan died Friday from the illness he had warned about, as infection cases in the country surpassed 30,000.

The death of 34-year-old Li Wenliang, announced by the hospital where he had been treated, prompted an outpouring of grief as well as outrage in China as he was widely known for warning about the burgeoning public health crisis and for being targeted by authorities for «spreading rumors.»

Li, an ophthalmologist in Wuhan, the epicenter of the outbreak, died from pneumonia caused by the new coronavirus at around 3 a.m. Friday, the hospital said on social media, Kyodo reports.

The number of people infected with the virus has reached over 31,000 in mainland China, with 636 confirmed deaths, the Chinese government said.

The hardest-hit Hubei Province, of which Wuhan is the capital, reported 2,447 more cases and 69 more deaths on Thursday. Wuhan has so far reported 11,618 infections, with 478 deaths.