Chinese officials confirmed on Thursday evening that Dr. Li Wenliang, the doctor who first warned of the dangers of the coronavirus outbreak, succumbed to the disease.
Dr. Li, who worked at Wuhan Central Hospital, sent a message to other medical professionals warning of the dangers of the disease on December 30, 2019. Four days later Chinese police summoned him to the Public Security Bureau where he was forced to sign a letter in which he was accused of "making false comments" that had "severely disturbed the social order."