The total number of cases testing positive for COVID-19 to date reaches 172 and possibly seven deaths
Jakarta (ANTARA) - Prof. Wiku Adisasmito from the Expert Team for the Task Force for Acceleration of COVID-19 handling confirmed that until March 18 morning, of the 172 cases positive for coronavirus (COVID-19) in Indonesia, seven had died.

"The total number of cases testing positive for COVID-19 to date reaches 172 and possibly seven deaths," Adisasmito stated during a press conference at the Graha Office of the National Disaster Management Agency (BNPB), Jakarta, Wednesday.

The number of people dying from COVID-19 increased by two, from the latest reported figure of five on March 18. However, the number of COVID-19 positive cases has not increased until Wednesday morning, March 18.

Wiku appealed to the public to not panic but to stay vigilant in facing the COVID-19 outbreak.

The public is also encouraged to limit contact with others to contain the transmission of COVID-19 in Indonesia.

"The important practice to follow is social distancing, so that we can reduce its transmission," he emphasized.

Earlier, the number of COVID-19 positive cases as of Tuesday afternoon (March 17) had reached 172, while the number of deaths stayed at five.

"The total now stands at 172 cases of which the death toll remains at five," the government’s spokesman for COVID-19 handling Achmad Yurianto stated during a joint press conference with the Task Force for the Acceleration of COVID-19 Handling at the National Disaster Mitigation Agency office, Jakarta, Tuesday.

Yurianto remarked that almost all cases were from DKI Jakarta followed by East Java, Central Java, and Riau Islands.

On Sunday (March 15), 134 people had tested positive for COVID-19, with a mortality rate of five. However, on Monday (March 16), with 12 additional cases, the total figure of those testing positive had climbed to 146.
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Reporter: Martha Herlinawati, Azis Kurma
Editor: Fardah Assegaf
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