Beijing, Jun 14 (IANS): Widow of Li Wenliang, the Chinese doctor who raised the alarm about the country's coronavirus outbreak, has given birth to their son.

Fu Xuejie shared a picture of the boy on the messaging app WeChat, calling him a "final gift" from Wenliang, BBC has reported.

Wenliang was arrested by authorities for "spreading rumours", and later died after catching the virus.

After a public outcry over his death, he was exonerated and honoured as a hero by the government.

His widow, Xuejie, now has two sons with her late husband.

In her message, she wrote: "Husband, can you see this from heaven? You have given me your final gift today. I will of course love and protect them."

Xuejie told local news outlet Litchi News that after her husband's death she suffered from health problems brought on by grief and had to be temporarily hospitalised to keep the unborn baby safe.

She described Wenliang as a responsible doctor and loving husband, and said her family initially hid his death from their other child, saying that "Dad went abroad."

Her baby photo has been commented on by thousands of users on the Chinese social network Weibo, many offering well-wishes. Others left comments asking the media to not bother the family.