
The family of a 'heroic' doctor who was punished for sounding the alarm over the coronavirus outbreak before it spread have been paid £90,000 after Beijing ruled his death a 'work place injury' following outpourings of grief and fury on social media for the whistle-blower.

'He wasn't allowed to speak. He wasn't even allowed to die,' wrote one person on popular messaging app WeChat as she commented on a circulating notice which apparently instructed all media outlets to suppress the coverage of the passing of Dr Li Wenliang.

'Dr Li Wenliang was only allowed to 'die' after most web users had gone to bed,' condemned another person on Twitter-like Weibo, claiming that Dr Li's hospital was quick to deny relevant reports and declared the medic's death in the wee hours today.

China has announced that it was sending its anti-corruption watchdog to Wuhan to investigate the death of Dr Li after his passing triggered an outpouring of criticism towards the Communist Party and the death toll hit 638.

Wuhan officials also ordered 820,000 yuan (£90,000) to be paid to Dr Li's family as compensation after deeming his illness 'a work injury'.

Li Wenliang, 34, succumbed to the deadly contagion in the early hours of Friday morning local time, despite attempts to resuscitate him, the hospital which was treating him said. The ophthalmologist caught the public's attention after he was reprimanded by police and accused of spreading 'fake news' for warning on social media of 'SARS at a Wuhan seafood market'

The Chinese public have taken to social media to accuse their government of trying to cover up the death of Dr Li who was punished for sounding the alarm over coronavirus. Some supporters of the late doctor created illustrations (one example, right) of him based on a picture (left), which shows Dr Li wearing a face mask while treating patients during the epidemic

'He wasn't allowed to speak. He wasn't even allowed to die,' wrote one person on popular messaging app WeChat as she commented on a circulating notice which apparently instructed all media outlets to suppress the coverage of the passing of Dr Li Wenliang. Above are two more examples of the cartoons which were produced by web users to mourn the late doctor

'Dr Li Wenliang was only allowed to 'die' after most web users had gone to bed,' condemned another person on Twitter-like Weibo, referring to the fact that Dr Li's hospital was quick to deny relevant reports and declared the medic's death in the wee hours today. Above are two more examples of the cartoons which were produced by web users to mourn the late doctor. Both illustrations carry quotes posted by Dr Li to his account on Weibo, and showed his resolution to fight the coronavirus

A woman cries while paying tribute to Dr Li Wenliang in front of Wuhan Central Hospital in Wuhan, China, on February 7

Flowers are put in front of Wuhan Central Hospital by Wuhan mourners. The card that comes with the flowers carries a message reading 'the long night is about to arrive. I, from today, will begin to be on watch as long as I am alive'

Wuhan Human Resources and Social Bureau revealed the decision to Wuhan Radio and TV Station

Residents of Wuhan today placed flowers in front of Wuhan Central Hospital, which Dr Li worked for and was treated at, to pay their tribute to him while citizens in Hong Kong held a vigil to mourn the dedicated medic.

The CPC Central Commission for Discipline Inspection said in a statement that it promised a thorough investigation into the issues surrounding Dr Li, who died of the new strain of coronavirus after being infected by one of his patients.

He left behind his wife who is pregnant, their five-year-old son and his elderly parents, according to media.

His elderly mother told video news outlet Pear that she did not have the chance to bid farewell to her son.

'From his treatment to his resuscitation, we could not see him once. What a pity! [We were] not allowed to see [him]… because he had a contagious disease,' the grief-stricken pensioner said.

She said she and her husband had also been diagnosed with the coronavirus and recovered a few days earlier.

'His father and I have been treated. But what a pity that my son did not make it through,' she cried.

Mourners pay their respect to deceased Chinese doctor Li Wenliang during a vigil ceremony in Hong Kong on Friday

A person wearing a mask attends a vigil for doctor Li Wenliang in Hong Kong, China, on Friday after he died of the coronavirus

Dr Li, an ophthalmologist from the Wuhan Central Hospital, was among eight doctors who were dubbed 'rumourmongers' by Wuhan authorities and investigated by police. They had sent warning messages on social media about 'SARS' in a market

Dr Li's original messages, sent to about 150 medics on popular messaging platform WeChat, read: 'Seven confirmed SARS cases were found in Huanan Fruit and Seafood Market. Pictured, people mourn Dr Li in Hong Kong, China, on Friday

Dr Li told media that he discovered the new virus could spread among humans around January 8 - two weeks before Chinese experts revealed the information to the public. Pictured, people attend a vigil for Dr Li Wenliang in Hong Kong on Friday

Some supporters of the late doctor created illustrations of him based on a trending picture, which shows Dr Li wearing a face mask while treating patients during the epidemic.

Others flocked to share a quote from Dr Li: 'A healthy society should not have just one voice.' He made the comment from his sickbed last Friday during an interview with Chinese news outlet Caixin.

There were also netizens who distributed a protest song - 'Do You Hear the People Sing?' - on WeChat, urging their peers to reflect upon the tragedy which had occurred to the 'heroic' doctor as well as the responsibility the government ought to shoulder.

The song, originally from musical Les Misérables, has been used as one of the anthems by anti-government demonstrators in Hong Kong during their ongoing pro-democracy movement since last June. And now it has inspired their compatriots in mainland as they showed their dissatisfaction towards the regime.

A picture circulating on social media shows one of Dr Li's colleagues bowing to a surgical unit after Dr Li died earlier today

A makeshift memorial for Dr Li Wenliang is seen at an entrance to Wuhan Central Hospital in Hubei province, China, on Friday

A man stops by the characters of 'Farewell to Li Wenliang' drawn on a snow-covered riverbank in Beijing, China, on Friday

A medical worker walks past a flower tribute to the late doctor at the Houhu Branch of Wuhan Central Hospital on Friday

Residents of Houhu Hospital District of Wuhan Central Hospital take pictures of flowers laid for the deceased doctor

The ophthalmologist caught the public's attention after he was reprimanded by police and accused of spreading 'fake news' for warning on social media of 'SARS at a Wuhan seafood market' on December 30.

Li's post came two weeks before coronavirus broke out in the city of 14 million which has been locked down since January 20.

His death has triggered an outpouring of anger from the Chinese people who are now openly criticising their leaders for clamping down on the news.

'How they dared to 'pretend to be resuscitating him'! How they dared to 'control' the public opinions,' one critic wrote on Weibo.

'The god of death wanted him at midnight, but the organisation demanded him live until the early hours,' another person seconded.

The news comes as more than 31,520 people have been infected worldwide and the death toll has climbed to 638

Medical workers attending to patients at the Wuhan Central Hospital in Hubei Province, the epicentre of the deadly virus

Medics in hazmat suits treat patients at the Wuhan Central Hospital in a photo uploaded to the hospital's official Weibo account

The death of Dr Li Wenliang was confirmed by state media Global Times citing sources at around 9:30pm local time today. The post gathered tens of thousands of comments in a matter of minutes, but was later removed by the newspaper for unspecified reasons.

WHO paid tribute to Dr Li on its official Twitter account after reports claimed he had died

WHICH COUNTRIES HAVE BANNED PEOPLE FROM ENTERING? US The US has temporarily banned any non-US citizens who have been to China in the past two weeks from entering America. AUSTRALIA Australia has banned entry for any Chinese travellers or foreign passengers who been to China within the last 14 days or even have passed through the mainland during a layover. NEW ZEALAND New Zealand has closed its borders to any foreigners arriving from China after February 2, including passengers who passed through in transit. JAPAN Japan has barred entry for anyone with symptoms of the coronavirus and no travellers from Wuhan are allowed to enter – even if they don't have symptoms. MONGOLIA Mongolian citizens have until February 6 to return to their home country if they want to. Travellers from China – whether they are Chinese or not – are not allowed to enter the country. NORTH KOREA North Korea was one of the first countries to completely shut its borders to travellers and flights from China, introducing the measure on January 21. KAZAKHSTAN Officials have suspended all forms of passenger travel to and from neighbouring China. The country has also suspended the issuance of visas to Chinese citizens. TAIWAN Authorities have decided to ban entry to all foreign nationals who have visited mainland China in the past two weeks. SINGAPORE Singapore has banned travellers who have been to mainland China in the past 14 days. SOUTH KOREA South Korea has banned all foreign travellers who have passed through Wuhan in the past 14 days. THE PHILIPPINES Authorities banned all travellers from China, Hong Kong and Macau – except for Filipino citizens and holders of permanent residency visas. PAPUA NEW GUINEA Papua New Guinea has shut its air and seaports to all foreign travellers from Asia. Its land border with West Papua has also been closed. SAUDI ARABIA Saudi Arabia has banned travellers from coronavirus-hit China entering the country. The kingdom suggested it would tear up the passports of anyone who defied the ban. IRAQ Iraq has banned entry for all foreign nationals travelling from China. GUATEMALA Guatemala has banned non-resident travellers who had been to China in the past two weeks. TRINIDAD & TOBAGO Trinidad & Tobago have banned non-resident travellers who had been to China in the past two weeks. Advertisement

Even state-run newspapers are now urging the authorities to keep all information transparent.

Shanghai-based Xinmin Evening News today wrote: 'Let the sunshine of transparency puncture through the smog of virus'.

Hu Xijin, editor-in-chief of Global Times, urged the Wuhan government to apologise to the public.

He told his 21 million followers on Weibo: 'The city of Wuhan indeed owes Li Wenliang an apology. The main officials of Wuhan and Hubei also owe a sincere apology to the people of Wuhan and all over the country.

'Why didn't Wuhan's major officials visit Li Wenliang when he was gravely ill, and overturn the attitude given to him previously?

'When our regional government and officials do something wrong, is it really this difficult to bow to those who were wronged and apologise to them?'

Dr Li's death was reported by Mr Hu's newspaper at around 9:30pm local time yesterday.

The post gathered tens of thousands of comments in a matter of minutes, but was later removed by the newspaper for unspecified reasons.

Within a half-hour of announcing earlier Friday that Li was in critical condition, the hospital received nearly 500,000 comments on its social media post, many of them from people hoping Li would pull through.

It declared his death at 3:48am local time today.

Through its official Weibo (social media) account, the hospital wrote: 'Our hospital's ophthalmologist Li Wenliang was infected during the fight of the epidemic of the new coronavirus pneumonia, and died at 2:58am in the early hours of February 7 despite the fact that we had tried our best to resuscitate him.

'We hereby express our deep regret and sincere condolences.'

Dr Li was accused of spreading fake news and criticised by police last month for sending a message to an online chatting group, informing his alumni that seven patients from the Huanan market had been diagnosed with SARS by his hospital.

His warning was posted on December 30 and came more than two weeks before the virus broke out in the city of 14 million, causing it to be put on lockdown on January 20.

The Huanan Seafood Wholesale Market turned out to be the breeding ground of the new strain of coronavirus, which is similar to SARS and has been named '2019-nCov'.

Dr Li was among eight doctors who were dubbed 'rumourmongers' by Wuhan authorities and investigated.

His original messages, sent to about 150 medics on popular messaging platform WeChat, read: 'Seven confirmed SARS cases were found in Huanan Fruit and Seafood Market.'

He continued: '[The patients] were in quarantine in the Houhu Branch of our hospital.'

The posts caught the attention of the police after one person in the chatting group uploaded a screen grab of the conversation onto the internet.

According to Huaxi Urban Daily, the eight accused medics shared similar messages on three chatting groups, all attended by Wuhan medics. The messages warned the medics to pay attention to a possible outbreak of what they thought was SARS.

A statement from Wuhan police on January 1 condemned them for spreading 'inauthentic' information without proof. Officers said their acts had brought bad impact on society, and they would be 'dealt with' by law.

To salvage the situation, Wuhan police stressed late last month that the eight people had not been warned, fined or detained.

Zeng Guang, chief epidemiologist of the Chinese Center for Disease Control and Prevention, said the eight people who had been reprimanded were 'worthy of respect because they worried about their country and its people'.

Dr Li told Chinese news outlet Caixin in an interview last Friday that he discovered the new virus could spread among humans around January 8 - 12 days before Chinese experts revealed the information to the public.

He said on his social media account on the same day that he was hospitalised on January 12 after treating one patient who had coronavirus but did not show any symptoms.

On Saturday, he said he was tested positive for coronavirus.

People wearing masks attend a vigil for late Dr Li Wenliang, an ophthalmologist who died of coronavirus at a hospital in Wuhan, in Hong Kong on February 7. Wuhan police on January 1 condemned Dr Li for spreading 'inauthentic' information

Dr Li told Chinese news outlet Caixin in an interview last Friday that he discovered the new virus could spread among humans around January 8 - 12 days before Chinese experts revealed the information to the public

He said on his social media account on the same day that he was hospitalised on January 12 after treating one infected patient

The news comes as more than 31,520 people have been infected worldwide and the death toll has climbed to 638

The news comes as more than 31,520 people have been infected worldwide and the death toll has climbed to 638. The overwhelming majority are in China, but more than 320 people with the illness have been reported in over two dozen other countries, including three cases in the UK, 12 in the US and 14 in Australia.

Leading scientists today called for a blanket ban on travellers from Asia to buy Britain valuable time to prepare a vaccine against the killer coronavirus that is rapidly sweeping the world.

Virologists argue travel restrictions – such as the ban on passengers from mainland China in the US, Australia and New Zealand – are 'worth implementing' to contain the spread of the SARS-like infection.

The calls to ramp up measures come amid backlash at the Government's response to the outbreak. Last night it issued travel advice, warning travellers from nine Asian countries to phone NHS 111 and quarantine themselves if they feel ill.

Ministers announced the upgraded advice after a third case of the coronavirus was yesterday confirmed on British soil in a businessman who had not visited China. He is thought to be in his 40s or 50s and attended a conference in Singapore.

But furious Brits have slammed the 'weak' measures to prevent more cases on UK soil, urging ministers to shut the border and saying 'serious guidance is needed'. Others have questioned if it's time to start wearing face masks.

Almost 640 people have died from the coronavirus, which can be spread through coughs, sneezes and touching contaminated surfaces.

Huoshenshan Hospital, a dedicated facility to treat coronavirus patients in Wuhan, opened yesterday after construction workers toiled day and night through Lunar New Year holiday

It is the second such hospital to have opened in China - after the first coronavirus hospital opened in Huanggang last Tuesday. Authorities are building at least three more across China

Chinese authorities reported 2,829 new cases yesterday plus 139 as of noon today, taking the number of infections to above 17,520 worldwide. In the picture above, people wear face masks and goggles while shopping in a supermarket on Saturday during the coronavirus outbreak

The Philippines has become the first country outside China to report deaths from coronavirus. Pictured, Chinese nationals rest at the Ninoy Aquino International Airport in Manila today

In other developments to the escalating outbreak today:

A British tourist was hauled off a cruise liner and taken to hospital in after testing positive for on his honeymoon

Officials have launched a frantic appeal for anyone who has spent 15 minutes with Britain's third coronavirus patient - but won't reveal who he is

Authorities have revealed the British victim caught the deadly virus at a business conference in a five-star hotel in Singapore

Local media reports the conference was held by a British-based company which provides 'stable gas measurements'