Active COVID-19 cases in Turkey drop under 35,000

By Ali Murat Alhas and Havva Kara Aydın

ANKARA (AA) - Turkey's total number of recoveries from coronavirus hit 111,577 on Monday, while the active cases dropped to 34,845, said the health minister.

The death toll from the pandemic rose to 4,171 as the country reported 31 new fatalities -- the lowest figure since March 23 -- over the past 24 hours, Fahrettin Koca said on Twitter, citing the Health Ministry data.

Over the past day, 1,615 more patients recovered, according to the official data.

“The number of patients who need intensive care and ventilators continues to decrease,” he said.

The country registered 1,158 new cases, bringing the tally to 150,593.

More than 25,000 tests were conducted in the country over the past 24 hours, raising the overall number of tests to over 1.65 million.

There are currently 903 patients under intensive care in Turkey.

Since first appearing China last December, the novel coronavirus causing the COVID-19 disease has spread to at least 188 countries and regions. The US and Europe are the hardest-hit areas.

The pandemic has killed over 316,200 worldwide, with more than 4.75 million confirmed cases, while recoveries have surpassed 1.75 million, according to figures compiled by Johns Hopkins University in the US.