Thousands of people have left messages on the social media account of the late Chinese Covid-19 whistleblower Li Wenliang on the anniversary of the day he learned of possible pneumonia-causing virus cases in Wuhan and shared the information with fellow doctors, Reuters reports.

Fang Kecheng from the Chinese University of Hong Kong said Li's Weibo microblog has become a place online where people express their feelings they are not comfortable expressing elsewhere.

"Such places for anonymous expression are needed in any society, and this is especially true in today's China," said the communication researcher.

People wearing masks attend a vigil for late Li Wenliang, an ophthalmologist who died of coronavirus at a hospital in Wuhan, in Hong Kong, China, February 7, 2020. — Reuters/File
People wearing masks attend a vigil for late Li Wenliang, an ophthalmologist who died of coronavirus at a hospital in Wuhan, in Hong Kong, China, February 7, 2020. — Reuters/File

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