The Chinese doctor who first warned his government of the coronavirus outbreak but had his claims dismissed has now died of the virus.

Li Wenliang, who had first shared suspicion of a Sars-like illness spreading in Wuhan, died on Thursday after he was infected by the coronavirus, the state-run Global Times reported.

34-year-old Wenliang, an ophthalmologist at the Wuhan Central Hospital, first told his friends about a viral infection spreading through the district via private messages as early as December 30.

He was the first to report about the virus way back in December last year when it first emerged in Wuhan, the provincial capital of China's central Hubei province.

He had told other doctors through a chat on the Chinese messaging app WeChat that seven patients admitted in his hospital were exhibiting Sars-like symptoms. The ophthalmologist said all seven patients had eaten animal meat from the same seafood market in Hubei.