page_title: COVID-19 pandemic in mainland China
section_title: Disclosure
hierarchical_section_title: COVID-19 pandemic in mainland China / Early response by Wuhan / Disclosure
caption_attribution_description: English: Partially damaged picture of Dr. Li Wenliang on the wall poster.
context_page_description: The COVID-19 pandemic originated with a cluster of mysterious, suspected pneumonia cases in the city of Wuhan, the capital of Hubei, China. A Wuhan hospital notified the local center for disease control and prevention and health commissions on 27 December 2019. On 31 December, the Wuhan CDC disclosed to the media that there was a cluster of unknown pneumonia cases related to Huanan Seafood Market after the unverified documents appeared on the Internet. The potential disease outbreak soon drew nationwide attention including that of the National Health Commission in Beijing who sent experts to Wuhan on the following day. Chinese authorities formally notified the World Health Organization on this same day. On 8 January 2020, a new coronavirus was identified as the cause of the pneumonia. The sequence of the virus was soon published on an open-access database.
  Public and media criticism has labeled responses by the Wuhan and Hubei authorities as delayed and as failing to contain the outbreak in its early stage. By 29 January, the virus spread to all provinces of mainland China. All provinces of mainland China initiated the highest response level to public health emergency.
context_section_description: On the evening of 30 December, the two emergent notice letters from the Municipal Health Commission of Wuhan began to circulate on the Internet which was soon confirmed by Wuhan CDC who admitted that there were 27 cases of pneumonia of unknown cause on 31 December. The letters required all hospitals in Wuhan to report any pneumonia patient with unknown causes and related to Huanan Seafood Market. They also asked the hospitals to give proper treatment to these patients. Wuhan CDC told The Beijing News that the investigation was still underway and the experts from NHC were on the way to help the investigation after a rumor about it circulated on the Internet.
  On 1 January 2020, the seafood market was closed down by Jianghan District's Health Agency and Administration for Market Regulation due to an "environment improvement." According to China Business, the workers in hazmat suits were inspecting all around the market and collecting samples. The storekeepers at the market said that they were not told what the people were collecting and detecting. The urban management officers and police officers were on the spot to ask the storekeepers to finish up and leave the market.
  Several doctors were warned by Wuhan's police for "spreading misinformation" and eight "rumormongers" who were all doctors at Wuhan hospitals according to Wang Gaofei, Weibo's CEO were summoned by the police on 3 January. Li Wenliang, one of the whistleblowers died from the virus on 7 February which was the same day when the discoverers of the outbreak, Zhang Jixian and Zhang Dingyu, were honored by Hubei's government. The death of Dr. Li led to widespread grief and criticism toward the government.
caption: Poster of Li Wenliang, doctor who was arrested for warning China about the coronavirus
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