Turkey: Daily coronavirus cases slip below 1,000

By Firdevs Bulut and Fahri Aksut

ANKARA (AA) - Daily cases in Turkey of the novel coronavirus fell under 1,000 on Wednesday for the first time since March 25 as the country registered, according to an announcement by the country's health minister.

The country registered 972 new cases, bringing the total to 152,587, while the number of active cases dropped to 34,378, Fahrettin Koca said on Twitter, citing Health Ministry data.

"The number of daily cases has fallen under 1,000 [...] We will now fight the virus more freely. Our new way of life: Controlled social life," he added.

Recoveries from COVID-19 hit 113,987 as 1,092 more patients were discharged from hospitals over the past day.

The death toll from the outbreak rose to 4,222 as the country reported 23 new fatalities over 24 hours.

Healthcare professionals conducted more than 20,838 tests in the same period, raising the overall number to over 1.69 million.

There are currently 877 patients under intensive care.

Since first appearing in China last December, the novel coronavirus causing the COVID-19 disease has spread to at least 188 countries and regions. The US, Russia, Brazil, and several European countries are currently the hardest-hit in the world.

The pandemic has killed nearly 324,200 worldwide, with more than 4.93 million confirmed cases, while recoveries have surpassed 1.7 million, according to figures compiled by Johns Hopkins University in the US.