Turkey: Number of COVID-19 patients tops 400,000

By Merve Aydogan and Handan Kazanci

ANKARA/ISTANBUL (AA) - The number of coronavirus patients in Turkey rose to over 400,000 on Wednesday, according to figures released by the Health Ministry.

Registering 2,693 more COVID-19 patients, the official data raised the total to 402,053, including 3,095 in critical condition.

A total of 86 more virus-related fatalities were reported in the country over the past 24 hours, raising the overall count to 11,145.

Recoveries increased by 2,112 during the same period to reach 344,613.

As many as 145,989 more COVID-19 tests were carried out across the country, bringing the total to nearly 15.57 million.

"The fight against the pandemic can be pursued both individually and as a community," Health Minister Fahrettin Koca said on Twitter, urging the public to act together against the virus.

The ministry data showed that 4.2% of patients this week suffered from pneumonia, while the weekly hospital bed occupancy rate stood at 53.5%.

Across the world, COVID-19 has claimed more than 1.27 million lives in 190 countries and regions since last December.

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

Over 51.62 million cases have been reported worldwide, with recoveries exceeding 33.63 million, according to figures compiled by the US' Johns Hopkins University.