Virus pushes beyond Asia, taking aim at Europe, Mideast

COVID-19 is taking aim at a broadening swath of the globe, with officials in Europe and the Middle East now scrambling to limit it. Despite showing signs of stabilizing in China, where fewer new infections are being reported, worries are growing elsewhere.

In Italy, authorities have set up roadblocks, called off soccer matches and shuttered sites including the famed La Scala opera house.

In Iran, a report of dozens of deaths in a single city emerged as infections were reported to have spread for the first time to Iraq, Kuwait, Bahrain and Afghanistan.

The leader of the World Health Organization says the recent developments have shown ``just how quickly a new virus can spread around the world and cause widespread fear and disruption.''