The flu season in the U.S. is getting worse with 38 states reporting high or very high levels for respiratory illnesses.

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 number of people sickened by the coronavirus topped 79,000 globally, and wherever it sprung up, officials rushed to try to contain it. “The past few weeks has demonstrated just how quickly a new virus can spread around the world and cause widespread fear and disruption,” said the head of the World Health Organization, Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus. Health workers said they planned to test every citizen in Daegu who showed cold-like symptoms for the coronavirus, estimating around 28,000 people would be targeted. Meantime, China announced it would postpone the annual meetings of the National People’s Congress, among the most important political gatherings of the year, citing the virus outbreak.