"The National Health Commission received information about 80,813 confirmed cases of pneumonia caused by a new type of coronavirus from 31 provinces [regions and municipalities], including 13,526 currently ill people. 4,020 people are in critical condition, 3,176 have died, 64,111 people have been discharged from hospitals," the commission said in a statement.

The coronavirus disease was first detected in Wuhan, China's Hubei province, in late December, and has since spread worldwide. On Wednesday, World Health Organization chief Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus said that the COVID-19 outbreak could be characterized as a pandemic.