ROME

Four more people in Italy have died from the novel coronavirus, bringing the death toll to 11, officials said Tuesday.

Local media reported that three of the dead were in their 80s and most of the deaths have occurred in the northern regions of Lombardy and Veneto.

With the number of coronavirus cases in Italy climbing to 323, it was observed that the epidemic has started spreading to other regions.

Three tourists from Bergamo, a town near Milan, tested positive for the virus while on vacation in Palermo, the capital of the southern island of Sicily.

The virus, officially known as COVID-19, has sounded global alarms, with China, where the first case was detected, reporting 2,663 deaths from the outbreak and health experts grappling to find a cure.

Outside mainland China, the coronavirus has spread to more than 30 other countries, including the U.S., U.K., France, Spain, Russia, Iran, Singapore and India.

Last month, the World Health Organization declared the outbreak an international health emergency.