Turkey conducts over 8M coronavirus tests: Minister

By Burak Dag and Jeyhun Aliyev

ANKARA (AA) - Healthcare professionals in Turkey have conducted a total of over 8.1 million tests to diagnose the novel coronavirus, the top health official said Wednesday.

"In total, more than 8 million tests have been carried out," Fahrettin Koca said on Twitter.

Turkey confirmed 1,673 new cases of COVID-19, bringing the nationwide tally to 284,943, he said.

The total number of recoveries reached 254,188 nationwide, with 943 new additions over the past 24 hours, according to the Health Ministry data.

Meanwhile, the death toll rose to 6,837 as 55 more people lost their lives to the virus.

Since Tuesday, over 111,100 coronavirus tests have been conducted across Turkey.

"If we all strictly follow the [protective] measures, we will be stronger against the virus. Let's support this strength and protect our loved ones," Koca said.

Of those infected, 7.4% suffer from pneumonia, showed the ministry figures.

The number of patients in critical condition has meanwhile climbed to 1,181.

Earlier, Turkey's Interior Ministry announced that measures taken against the pandemic would be inspected by local governors, mayors and neighborhood representatives with security forces across the country.

Across the world, COVID-19 has claimed more than 898,700 lives in 188 countries and regions since last December.

The US, India, Brazil, Russia, and Peru are currently the worst-hit countries.

Over 27.6 million COVID-19 cases have been reported worldwide, with recoveries exceeding 18.5 million, according to figures compiled by the US-based Johns Hopkins University.