Police apologise to Wuhan whistleblower doctor's family

Police in China's Wuhan have apologised for acting against the doctor who tried his best to warn people about Covid-19 before succumbing to the disease himself while treating patients, reports said.

After Dr Li Wenliang warned his colleagues of the mysterious viral illness through social media in December, he was grilled by police in early January, accused of "rumour-mongering", and had to sign a letter promising that he wouldn't repeat this.

On Thursday, the police retracted a letter they initially wrote charging Dr Li with "making false comments" and "disturbing the social order". They also apologised to Dr Li's family, the BBC reported, citing Chinese media.

The doctor, 34, himself was infected in January while treating his patients and passed away early last month, sparking of nationwide anger and allegations of a cover-up.