As we noted earlier, the death of Dr. Li Wenliang, which was confirmed early Friday by Wuhan City Central Hospital, the same hospital where Dr. Li worked, and where he was punished for warning medical students about the novel coronavirus in a private chatroom.

Li and seven others were punished for their early warnings about the virus. Now, Li he has joined the more than 600 other Chinese who have succumbed to the virus's pneumonia-like symptoms and his death has ignited nationwide morning and demands for more free speech.

His portrait has become a symbol of resistance during an extremely difficult time on mainland China, where nearly 1/3 of the country's population is being held captive in their homes by China's sprawling security apparatus.

Video shows Wuhan checkpoint now manned by the Chinese Army. The Chinese government put the quarantined zones under military control. pic.twitter.com/MnVzYD2sU3 — Russian Market (@russian_market) February 7, 2020

Lists of heroes who have been censored or punished for speaking the truth about the virus are circulating on Twitter.

Amnesty International weighed in on Dr. Li Wenliang death, calling it a "tragic reminder" of how Beijing's "preoccupation with stability" inspired it to suppress vital information.

Over the last two days, Beijing has made a big show of opening two new hospitals in Wuhan that were built in under two weeks. Videos like this one have circulated widely in the western press - China's target audience.

Time-lapse video shows new hospital being built in China in just 10 days



Huoshenshan hospital in Wuhan has been built to help deal with coronavirus patientshttps://t.co/IBxpG8lIRt pic.twitter.com/aXhiX7KqyT — BBC News (World) (@BBCWorld) February 3, 2020

We've already reported how the hospitals look more like prisons with medical equipment. But come to find out that most of the hospitals are actually being run by their patients. Dr. Feigl-Ding, the Harvard epidemiologist who is one of many academics slammed as an alarmist for telling the truth, tweeted that nearly one-third of the patients in one hospital in Wuhan are also medical staff. There's a common trope to describe this: something about lunatics running the asylum?

29% — that’s the % of the 138 #coronavirus infected patients who are actually infected medical staff in one Wuhan hospital. Almost 1 in 3 patients being hospital healthcare workers is just insane. New case series report in JAMA: https://t.co/j7HPV8j8dp pic.twitter.com/3Hmu3MaE7m — Eric Feigl-Ding (@DrEricDing) February 7, 2020

2) In addition to 29% medical staff, 12% of patients had gotten #coronavirus as hospital-acquired🦠. Quote: “Hospital-associated transmission was suspected as the presumed mechanism of infection for affected health professionals (40 [29%]) and hospitalized patients (17 [12.3%]).” — Eric Feigl-Ding (@DrEricDing) February 7, 2020

3) Astute readers added 29%+12% and asked if it means 41% of the 138 patients got 🦠 as a hospital-acquired infection... yes but maybe not one’s personal risk walking into a hospital. 12% maybe weak/susceptible, and 29% medical staff have much closer contact than normal patients. — Eric Feigl-Ding (@DrEricDing) February 7, 2020

We wonder how many more doctors will need to die before the mainland really does 'import Hong Kong's sickness'?