Turkey: Death toll from coronavirus rises to 168

By Erdogan Cagatay Zontur

ANKARA (AA) - As many as 37 more people died of the novel coronavirus in Turkey in the past 24 hours, according to figures released by the country's Health Ministry on Monday, bringing the death toll to 168.

The total number of confirmed coronavirus cases surged to 10,827 as 1,610 more people tested positive for the virus, according to the ministry.

A total of 162 patients have recovered and were discharged from hospitals since the beginning of the outbreak, according to the data, which said 725 patients were being treated under intensive care.

Also, 11,535 tests were conducted in the past 24 hours and the number of total tests carried out so far stood at 76,981.

After first appearing in Wuhan, China, last December, the novel coronavirus has spread to at least 177 countries and territories, according to data compiled by U.S.-based Johns Hopkins University.

The data shows more than 741,700 cases have been reported worldwide since last December, with the death toll over 35,300 and nearly 157,000 recoveries.