Turkey records 26,919 new COVID-19 cases

By Ali Murat Alhas and Havva Kara Aydin

ANKARA (AA) - Turkey reported 26,919 more COVID-19 infections, including 5,103 symptomatic patients, over the past 24 hours, according to the Health Ministry data released Sunday.

The total number of cases hit 1,836,728 with the latest additions, the data showed.

A total of 22,215 patients recovered from the diseases over the past day, bringing the tally to 1,603,780 while total fatalities rose to 16,417 with 218 additions.

Across the country, over 181,100 more COVID-19 tests were conducted, pushing the total to more than 21.07 million.

The number of seriously ill people now stands at 5,973 though the rate of increase in severe cases is falling.

Since it emerged last December, the COVID-19 pandemic has claimed over 1.6 million lives in 191 countries and regions.

More than 71.86 million cases have been reported worldwide, with over 46.98 million recoveries, according to figures compiled by the US' Johns Hopkins University.

While the US, India, and Brazil remain the worst-hit countries in terms of the number of cases, Europe is in the grip of a devastating second wave of infections.