A 29-year-old Chinese doctor who postponed his wedding to treat coronavirus patients died of the bug this week — one of the youngest people to die from the disease.
Dr. Peng Yinhua — who worked in the outbreak’s epicenter — died Thursday after contracting the deadly infection as he treated patients at the People’s No. 1 Hospital in Wuhan’s Jiangxia district, official news agency Xinhua reported, citing the local health bureau.
Peng was hospitalized on Jan. 25 and transferred to Wuhan Jinyintan Hospital for treatment five days later. He died from the virus at 9:50 p.m. Thursday, despite doctors’ life-saving efforts, the report said.
The respiratory and critical illness doctor had planned to get married during the Chinese New Year holiday, but put off the ceremony so he could be on the front lines as the outbreak intensified.
Peng “never got to send out his wedding invitations, which are still in his office drawer,” Xinhua reported.
At least eight medical professionals have been killed by the virus — including 34-year-old whistleblowing doctor Li Wenliang, whose death earlier this month prompted a public outcry and anti-government postings on social media.
Liu Zhiming, the director of Wuchang Hospital in Wuhan, died on Tuesday.
More than 1,700 medical workers in China have been infected, mostly in central Hubei province, where Wuhan is located.
In total, more than 75,000 COVID-19 infections have been reported in China and over 2,200 people have died.
A newborn baby who tested positive for the virus just 30 hours after birth in Wuhan is the youngest known confirmed patient.
With Post wires