S. Korea reports 161 more virus cases, worries about spread

SEOUL, South Korea (AP) — South Korea on Monday reported 161 more cases of a new virus that has spread rapidly around a southwestern city, bringing the nation's total to 763 cases a day after the president called for “unprecedented, powerful” steps to combat the outbreak.

Two more deaths were confirmed, raising South Korea's death toll to seven from the COVID-19 illness, which is caused by a newly identified coronavirus that has infected tens of thousands of people, mostly in China.

More than 140 of South Korea's new cases were in and near the city of Daegu, where most of the country’s infections have so far occurred. Six of the seven deaths were linked to a hospital in Cheongdo, near Daegu, where a slew of infections were confirmed among patients in a mental ward.

While officials have expressed hope they could contain the outbreak to the region surrounding Daegu, some experts noted signs of the virus circulating nationwide, pointing to a number of cases in the capital, Seoul, and elsewhere that weren't immediately traceable.

Far from where the illness first emerged, authorities in Italy battled to contain Europe's first major outbreak and Iran reported eight deaths — the highest toll outside of China. Some of the disease clusters identified in recent days have shown no link to China, a worrying sign of the virus spreading beyond control.

The Iranian health ministry said there were now 43 confirmed cases in Iran, which did not report its first case of the virus until Wednesday.

In Italy’s northern Lombardy region, which includes the nation’s financial capital, Milan, the governor announced Sunday that the number of confirmed cases stood at 110. Italy now has 152 cases, the largest number outside of Asia, including three deaths, the most recent on...