Summary: Li Wenliang, a Chinese doctor who was one of the first doctors in China to spread news of an upcoming virus a few months ago, has died in the recent few days. He shared the news of the virus back at the end of December, and was detained at the beginning of January by Chinese authorities for "spreading fear and rumors". After becoming sick himself, he eventually due to illness on February 6th in the hospital, but people are becoming suspicious of his death.
Reaction: I don't really know how to react to this as it's quite a bit to take in. I understand the risk of working against something this deadly but it just puts some things into perspective. The Chinese government seems to be handling this situation, although very difficult, very poorly. I really hope that this virus problem blows by soon.
Connection: During the late 1600s, the Salem Witch Trials was a period of time where the town of Salem, Massachusetts went hysterical over fear of witches secretly living among their peers in the town. People were always on their guard, and some would even use this as an excuse to accuse people they didn't like of being witches. The difference here is that the witches were most likely fake while the corona virus is a real problem.
Question: If you knew about the virus before the outbreak, would you risk your life to warn the rest of your country and the world? Why? Do you think that what Mr. Wenliang did was the right thing to do? Why?
I think what Mr. Wenliang did was the right thing. He was an educated medical professional, or at least, in medical school trying to become one and he knew about the virus before it became a huge thing. Of course, he should try to warn people as to save lives. However, I understand the position of the Chinese government in that they didn't want to cause mass panic in their country, but they did not handle the situation correctly. Instead of silencing Mr. Wenliang, they should've worked with him and told their citizens that they would work with him and get to the bottom of this situation.
ReplyDeleteIf I knew about the virus before the outbreak, I would risk my life to warn the rest of the country and the world. I believe that it would be the right thing to do and would ultimately be able to save many more lives in the long run if precautions were taken earlier. I think what Mr. Wenliang did was the right thing to do. As soon as he found out about the virus, he tried to spread awareness by sharing his speculations on social media (WeChat) and with other medical professionals. Although his actions were deemed "illegal" by the Chinese government, he still knew of the consequences beforehand and still choose to share the information her knew. Knowing that he considered what could lie in the future (getting in trouble), he still spread awareness which shows how serious he thinks this virus is. Although I knew the Chinese government didn't want to instill fear in their citizens, I think they could've looked further into his speculations and at least warn the public about the possibility. While I was reading an article about this, it made me very angry to find out that he tried to warn the public which could've lead to less deaths. I remember reading this quote of his that went something like this, "When I recover, I want to return to the front lines. The outbreak is still spreading. I don't want to be a deserter." This really inspired me that he still wanted to help people in the world despite facing the disease himself. He was a kind and unselfish person that put others before him. Although his death is tragic, I think we should use Dr. Li as a motivation to help others fight against this horrible virus and try to find a cure as soon as possible.
ReplyDeleteIf i was a doctor and knew about the virus months before anyone, I would definitely try to share what I find with others. Using the evidence I would have found to learn of the virus, I would have presented a valid argument to authorities to try and bring awareness to both the issue and ways to defend against it. Even though I understand that this would be a very serious topic, having evidence of it would hopefully win over authorities, instead of them thinking it's just a conspiracy. Unfortunately for Dr. Wenliang, he did not gain support from the government. What he did was the certainly the right thing as it was the only way to try to limit the virus as early as possible and avoid the epidemic we are facing now. Not reporting it would have done nothing, so bringing up the possibility of it can't be much worse. He tried to warn the government of a possible threat but the government didn't listen to him even though he was a well-qualified doctor so there is nothing more he could have done.
ReplyDeleteIf I was doctor and knew about the corona virus and if I had to chance to save my country or the world, id take the risk to do what Mr. Wenliang did. If it could prevent the near fatal drop in population of the world, and save the entire human race, I would do it. What Mr. Wenliang did was the right thing to do, even if it meant running the risk of dying working with this deadly virus.
ReplyDeleteI agree, if I had the chance I would definitely take my chances to try and save my country and potentially the entire world from a deadly virus if I had prior knowledge. The thing that amazes me is how he defied his own government, that’s the only thing that I think I wouldn’t have enough courage to do. The only way I’d be able to do so is if I did it off of my impulses but even then it might be really hard.
DeleteOf course it is morally right to share news of the virus if you are the first person to find out. I think that the Chinese authorities should not have detained him, as his actions were most likely not directed towards causing panic, but spreading awareness. I do think Mr. Wenliang did the right thing, because many people have since been diagnosed with coronavirus instead of passing it off as a common cold since they share many of the same symptoms. The United States has even gone as far to declare the virus a public health emergency, which may not have happened if it weren't for Li Wenliang speaking out about it.
ReplyDeleteIf I was in the same position as this doctor, I would definitely attempt to spread the news. Honestly though, I am not sure if I could have the same courage that it took to defy an authoritarian government. I would do this because I strongly believe that the public has a right to know, so that necessary precautions may be taken to protect themselves. I believe that Dr. Wenliang did the right thing, and he honored his Hippocratic oath to do no harm.
ReplyDeleteI think that this doctor was right to spread the news of the the virus, and might have saved many lives by doing so. His warning let other countries prepare for the disease, especially in America, where all of the known cases have been put into quarantine. I hope that I would have done the same thing, although it would have been difficult to go against an authoritarian government like China's.
ReplyDeleteI think the doctor made the right decision. If I was in his shoes, I would likely do the same. I don't think he should've gotten in trouble for his actions, though I could see, at first, how a new frightening outburst as such could cause a big frenzy and elicit a large sense of panic. Nevertheless, the doctor was clearly just trying to do the right thing for humankind and warn us about a deadly virus.
ReplyDeleteIf I knew the virus before the outbreak, I would definitely risk my life to warn the rest of the country and world. Spreading out awareness before the outbreak makes people prepared to prevent higher risk of getting the virus, it would ultimately save more lives. In my opinion, Mr.Wenliang was the right thing to do because his warning not only helping people in China to prepare for the virus, but as well as other countries.
ReplyDeleteIf I knew about a virus and its potential outbreak before the outbreak occurred I would definitely tell people. I would first probably tell a someone in public health, a person in science or a doctor. I believe that what Mr. Wenliang did was the right thing because keeping information like that could have also worsened the issue. I think that the government should not have ignored his findings rather do an investigation and inform the public in a way that would not start a panic just inform the people and show them ways to be per cautious .
ReplyDeleteIf I were to believe that I had encountered a new virus I would gather sufficient information and immediately report it to the government and other health agencies to spread the news. I think what Mr. Li did was right and I also believe that what the Chinese government is justified. Mr. Li was correct to report it out to prevent spread of the disease but maybe he could've had more evidence to convince others that such a virus had actually occurred. Also the Chinese government was correct in detaining him because they didn't want any random person to start spreading rumors and driving the whole country into a chaotic mess.
ReplyDeleteI think Mr. Wenliang did the right thing. the virus is something dangerous that could not just affect China, but the rest of the world as well. Even if it meant risking his own safety, he still warned people about the virus. If I were in his position, I would try to spread awareness about it, but i don't know if I would have the courage to continue to defy the Chinese government. At the same time, I feel like the Chinese government should have verified that what Mr. Wenliang said was true before detaining him for causing panic, then maybe the government would have been able to handle the problem in a better way before it got out of hand.
ReplyDeleteI believe Mr. Li did the right thing in alerting people of the virus, since this could actually impact the whole world, and knowing about the virus earlier definitely raise awareness and somewhat controls the spreading. While I think the Chinese government handled this problem in a selfish way, although I understand that they want to keep everything under control and prevent panic, their way of handling it indeed contribute to this worldwide pandemic. They could've talk with Mr. Li and gather evidence to verify the virus then inform it to the citizens in a more formal and gentle way, so that people would be aware and report to the hospital as soon as they develop symptoms to prevent further spreading. The Chinese government's actions only intensifies the problem.
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