COVID-19 whistleblower’s widow gives birth to child

By Masood Sattar Khan
(Pakistan News & Features Services)

The widow of Dr Li Wenliang of Wuhan, regarded as the whistle blower of COVID-19, gave birth to the second child, a boy, the Chinese media reported on June 12.

"Are you seeing this in heaven? The last gift you gave me was born today. I will love and take care of him,” Fu Xueijie, wife of Li Wenliang's apparently writing the message for her late husband wrote on her Chinese most popular Social media “WeChat moments” after giving birth to a boy. 

Dr Li Wenliang, an ophthalmologist by profession, hailed from the Central Hospital of Wuhan who sounded an early alarm for the novel coronavirus, a domestic news outlet Lizhi News reported on June 12 that his wife gave birth to a boy. 

The baby weighed 3.45 kilograms, according to the media report. Floods of messages were left on social media to welcome him to the world, with some netizens wishing him happiness forever.

Dr Li Wenliang was hailed a hero by Chinese netizens for his courage in warning people at an early stage of the COVID-19 outbreak. The doctor died following a battle with the coronavirus on February 7. 

“We hope this child will carry on the spirit of Dr Li and be a good man,” a netizen said. 

The Chinese authorities last month awarded the doctor and other 32 people with medals to commemorate their sacrifices in fighting against COVID-19.

“As an ophthalmologist, he was not afraid of danger and was not afraid to come into close contact with patient. He stuck to his frontline post and took care of patients in eight beds. When he became infected with COVID-19 at work, he was always concerned about the frontline and said many times that he would go back after recovering," Dr Li Wenliang’s official introduction read. 

Following his death in February, anger and grief flooded the Chinese social media and many of them hailed him a national hero, expressing indignation toward Wuhan authorities' early handling of his case.