Li-Meng Yan

Li-Meng Yan (simplified Chinese: 闫丽梦; traditional Chinese: 閆麗夢) or Limeng Yan, is a Chinese virologist and whistleblower[1][2][3][4] who believes the Chinese government and the World Health Organization knew about person-to-person transmission of COVID-19 much earlier than reported.[5]

Li-Meng Yan
Born
 People's Republic of China, Qingdao city
EducationSouthern Medical University PhD
Known forWhistleblower
Medical career
ProfessionPost-Doctoral Researcher
FieldMedicine
InstitutionsThe University of Hong Kong School of Public Health
Sub-specialtiesImmunology
ResearchInfluenza vaccine, Cell-mediated immunity
This is a Chinese name; the family name is Yan.

Background

Yan received her MD degree from XiangYa Medical College of Central South University, China, and her PhD from Southern Medical University, China. Her research includes the study of The inhibition effect of propranolol on the corneal neovascularization in an alkali-induced injury mouse model.[6] At the time of the COVID-19 pandemic she was employed at the Hong Kong School of Public Health, Hong Kong University, conducting research specialised in virology and immunology.[7]

COVID-19

Yan says she was one of the first scientists in the world to study the coronavirus outbreak in Wuhan, China, after Dr. Leo Poon, her supervisor at the Hong Kong University (a WHO reference lab), asked her to look into a cluster of SARS-like cases in Wuhan, in December 2019.[8] According to Fox, Yan maintained an extensive network of medical professionals from mainland China, one of whom told Yan about human-to-human transmission of the novel disease on December 31, 2019.[9]. According to Yan, she reported her findings about the virus multiple times to her superiors, including one on January 16, after which she says she was warned by her supervisor "to keep silent and be careful."[10]

In interviews with Fox News, Yan accused the Chinese government of knowing about the novel coronavirus before it publicly said that it did and said that lives could have been saved if they had not censored her work.[8][11] She also accused her supervisors, including Leo Poon and Malik Peiris, of ignoring research that she was doing at the onset of the pandemic that she says could have also saved lives.[8][12] Feeling that she and her colleagues had an obligation to tell the world of their research[13] given their status as a World Health Organization reference laboratory, Yan fled for the United States on April 28 with what she said was her intention of delivering "the message of the truth of COVID," adding if she tried to tell her story in China, she said that she would be "disappeared and killed."[8][14] Yan's interviews and accusations were subsequently cited in other media outlets.[9][15][16][17][18][19][20][21][22]

In July 2020, a press release from the University of Hong Kong (HKU) denied her claim and stated that "HKU notes that the content of the said news report does not accord with the key facts as we understand them. Specifically, Dr Yan never conducted any research on human-to-human transmission of the novel coronavirus at HKU during December 2019 and January 2020, her central assertion of the said interview. We further observe that what she might have emphasised in the reported interview has no scientific basis but resembles hearsay."[23] The press release did not mention when and why Yan left HKU.[24] In an internal memo to staff, the director of HKU's School of Public Health, Keiji Fukuda, said none of the researchers named by Yan were involved in any cover-up or "secret research".[24]

She co-authored a paper called "Pathogenesis and transmission of SARS-CoV-2 in golden hamsters", published in Nature in May 2020, regarding transmission of the virus in hamsters. This paper was co-authored by her now former colleagues at HKU.[25]

References
  1. "Coronavirus Whistleblower: Exclusive Fox News Interview". Fox News Videos. July 10, 2020.
  2. Jones, Amy (July 12, 2020). "Former MI6 chief claims there is 'close linkage' between Huawei and Chinese military". The Telegraph. Meanwhile, a Chinese virologist claimed authorities in Beijing knew about the coronavirus outbreak in December, weeks before admitting it to the world. Dr Li-Meng Yan said she was one of the first experts asked to examine a cluster of cases emerging in Wuhan last year. The whistleblower alleges she was given the task by Professor Leo Poon, her supervisor at the Hong Kong School of Public Health.
  3. "Whistleblower says China has been lying about coronavirus the whole time". Boy Genius Report. July 13, 2020.
  4. "'We don't have much time': Doctor's disturbing claims about China's virus 'cover-up'". Yahoo Australia. Yahoo Australia. July 14, 2020. Claiming to have “chatlogs” with telling communication with others in China, Dr Yan said she was willing to “provide all the evidence to the US government”. She was also aware however of the danger this could put her in, given her knowledge of how China treats whistleblowers.
  5. Bowden, Ebony (July 10, 2020). "Chinese virologist in hiding after accusing Beijing of coronavirus cover-up". New York Post. Archived from the original on July 10, 2020. Retrieved July 11, 2020.
  6. "普萘洛尔对小鼠角膜碱烧伤模型中新生血管抑制作用的实验研究".
  7. "Li-Meng Yan MD, PhD, The University of Hong Kong". Keystone Symposia. Archived from the original on July 11, 2020. Retrieved July 11, 2020.
  8. Chakraborty, Barnini (July 9, 2020). "EXCLUSIVE: Chinese virologist accuses Beijing of coronavirus cover-up, flees Hong Kong: 'I know how they treat whistleblowers'". Fox News. Archived from the original on July 11, 2020. Retrieved July 11, 2020.
  9. Bowden, Ebony (July 10, 2020). "Chinese virologist in hiding after accusing Beijing of coronavirus cover-up". New York Post. Archived from the original on July 10, 2020. Retrieved July 11, 2020.
  10. Chakraborty, Barnini. "EXCLUSIVE: Chinese virologist accuses Beijing of coronavirus cover-up, flees Hong Kong: 'I know how they treat whistleblowers'". Retrieved July 11, 2020. She said she reported her findings to her supervisor again on Jan. 16 but that's when he allegedly told her "to keep silent, and be careful." "As he warned me before, 'Don't touch the red line,'" Yan said referring to the government. "We will get in trouble and we'll be disappeared."
  11. "Hong Kong virologist claiming coronavirus cover-up tells 'Bill Hemmer Reports': 'We don't have much time'". Fox.
  12. "Hong Kong virologist claiming coronavirus cover-up tells 'Bill Hemmer Reports': 'We don't have much time'". Fox.
  13. Chakraborty, Barnini. "EXCLUSIVE: Chinese virologist accuses Beijing of coronavirus cover-up, flees Hong Kong: 'I know how they treat whistleblowers'". Retrieved July 11, 2020. She adds that they likely had an obligation to tell the world, given their status as a World Health Organization reference laboratory specializing in influenza viruses and pandemics, especially as the virus began spreading in the early days of 2020.
  14. "Hong Kong virologist claiming coronavirus cover-up tells 'Bill Hemmer Reports': 'We don't have much time'". Fox.
  15. "Hong Kong virologist, who fled to US, accuses China of covering up Covid threat". The Print. July 11, 2020.
  16. "Chinese virologist, who fled Hong Kong, accuses Beijing of coronavirus cover-up". Wion. MSN India.
  17. Jones, Amy (July 12, 2020). "Former MI6 chief claims there is 'close linkage' between Huawei and Chinese military". The Telegraph.
  18. "Whistleblower says China has been lying about coronavirus the whole time". Boy Genius Report. July 13, 2020.
  19. "'We don't have much time': Doctor's disturbing claims about China's virus 'cover-up'". Yahoo Australia. Yahoo Australia. July 14, 2020.
  20. "Chinese Virologist Details Beijing's Lies about the Contagiousness of the Coronavirus". National Review.
  21. "Virologist who fled to US from Hong Kong". ANI. Times of India. July 11, 2020.
  22. "Chinese govt knew about coronavirus, tried to cover it up: Hong Kong scientist who fled to US". India Today. July 11, 2020.
  23. "HKU responds to the media concerning a former staff member's TV interview". July 11, 2020. Retrieved July 12, 2020.
  24. Low, Zoe (July 16, 2020). "Coronavirus: HKU school head chides former worker for tarring reputation of ex-colleagues on American TV over alleged research cover-up" South China Morning Post.
  25. "(PDF) Pathogenesis and transmission of SARS-CoV-2 in golden hamsters". Retrieved August 5, 2020.
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