COVID-19 pandemic in mainland China
Public and media criticized Chinese officials for a slow response to fight the outbreak when it first started. By 29 January, the virus spread to all provinces of mainland China. All provinces of mainland China began a large public health emergency. The World Health Organization declared the outbreak a "Public Health Emergency of International Concern" on 31 January, saying that there are reasons that it could spread to other countries, such as those without robust healthcare systems. By 8 February, over 724 died from the coronavirus and 34,878 were confirmed to have been infected. In Hubei alone, there were 24,953 cases of infections and 699 related deaths.