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HEALTH-VIRUS-CHINA
Wuhan doctor at whistleblower’s hospital dies from coronavirus
BEIJING, June 2, 2020 (BSS/AFP) – A Wuhan doctor who worked with
coronavirus whistleblower Li Wenliang died of the virus on Tuesday,
state media reported, becoming China’s first COVID-19 fatality in
weeks.
Hu Weifeng, a urologist at Wuhan Central Hospital, passed away after
being treated for COVID-19 and allied issues for more than four
months, state broadcaster CCTV said.
He is the sixth doctor from Wuhan Central Hospital to have died from
the virus, which emerged in the central Chinese city late last year.
Cases have dwindled dramatically from the peak in mid-February as
the country appears to have brought the outbreak largely under
control.
The official death toll in the country of 1.4 billion people stands
at 4,634 — well below the number of fatalities in less populous
nations.
Wuhan Central Hospital has yet to give a formal statement on Hu’s
death. In early February it said some 68 staff members had contracted
coronavirus.
Hu’s condition became a national concern after Chinese media showed
images of him with his skin turned black due to liver damage.
Fellow doctor Yi Fan showed similar symptoms, but recovered and has
since been discharged from hospital.
The death of their colleague Li Wenliang in February triggered a
national outpouring of grief and rage against the government as he
documented his final days on social media.
The 34-year-old ophthalmologist was reprimanded by authorities after
he warned colleagues about the virus in late December.
Beijing has since named him a national martyr, but suppressed much
of the dissent and criticism sparked by his death.
Other medical whistleblowers at Wuhan Central Hospital — including
emergency unit director Ai Fen — have told Chinese media they were
punished by authorities for speaking out.
China has not released a complete figure of the number of medical
worker deaths from COVID-19, but at least 34 medics have been awarded
posthumous honours by health authorities.
In February the National Health Commission said about 3,387 health
workers had been infected.
BSS/AFP/MRU/1919hrs