UPDATE - Indonesia: Death toll from coronavirus rises to 4

UPDATES WITH REVISED DEATH TOLL, EDITS THROUGHOUT

By Erric Permana

JAKARTA (AA) - Indonesia reported three more deaths from the coronavirus on Friday, taking the national death toll to four.

The development was confirmed by Achmad Yurianto, a government spokesman for virus-related developments. He said 69 people had tested positive for the virus, officially known as COVID-19, besides four deaths.

“The confirmed cases include two infants, who contracted the virus from their parents,” he told a news conference.

Earlier in the day, Indonesian President Joko Widodo told reporters that the government had taken serious steps to deal with the pandemic, but did not want to instill panic among the people. "We have to remain calm," he added.

Those who died of the virus include a 53-year-old foreign woman.

Common signs of the infection include fever, cough, shortness of breath and breathing difficulties.

Standard recommendations to prevent infection spread include regular hand washing, and covering mouth and nose when coughing and sneezing.

After emerging in Wuhan, China last December, the virus has spread to at least 118 countries and territories.

The global death toll is now nearly 5,000, with more than 132,000 confirmed cases, according to the World Health Organization.

*Writing by Rhany Chairunissa Rufinaldo