By Martin Quin Pollard

SHANGHAI, (Reuters) – Thousands left messages on Li Wenliang’s social media account on the occasion of his death. He shared information about possible cases of pneumonia-causing viruses in Wuhan with other doctors.

Li, an ophthalmologist in Wuhan at a hospital that was the first to detect the Sars-CoV-2 outbreak, reviewed a medical report on December 30, 2019. He posted the information on Weibo (NASDAQ) on January 31.

Li received a reprimand from the police after Li shared information regarding “SARS” cases in WeChat, as per the Weibo posted.

The virus which causes COVID-19 died in him on February 7, 2020. He went to the hospital on January 12.

In a period when the virus was a major concern and people are on edge, social media saw a flood of mourning. Authorities were also under attack for their perceived intransparency and hardline attitude towards whistleblowers like Li.

While confidence has grown since then in China’s response to the pandemic epidemic, many people still post to Li online. This is especially true on special anniversary days like Thursday.

Tdby wrote, “Happy New Year Dr. Li. We will always remember you.”

In the comments section of Li’s post on Weibo (China’s equivalent to Twitter), others posted candle-emojis. These are short messages of gratitude and exclamations about how fast two years passed. Many wrote like they were speaking with him from the beyond.

Fang Kecheng, a Chinese University of Hong Kong student said that Li’s Weibo has been a microblog where people can express themselves online in a way they don’t feel comfortable doing so.

The communication researcher stated that “Such spaces for anonymous expression are necessary in every society. This is particularly true in China today.”

Mainland China has reported 101,683 confirmed cases as of Dec. 28, with the death toll at 4,636.