Turkey releases weekly infection rates across country

By Faruk Zorlu

ANKARA (AA) - Turkey's health minister on Tuesday announced the latest weekly infection rates for COVID-19 across the country's 81 provinces.

Sharing the data for June 26 to July 2, Fahrettin Koca said on Twitter: "The end of the pandemic comes with a vaccine. Get your vaccine to look at tomorrow more confidently than today."

The number of cases per 100,000 people was 54.6 in the metropolis of Istanbul -- home to nearly one-fifth of Turkey's population -- 71.9 in the capital Ankara, and 23.5 in the Aegean province of Izmir.

The southern provinces of Osmaniye, Adiyaman, and Hatay had the lowest COVID-19 infections per 100,000 people.

The country has so far administered over 54.4 million doses since it launched a mass vaccination campaign in January, according to the Health Ministry.

More than 36.5 million people have received their first doses, while over 16 million have been fully vaccinated.

Amid a nationwide fall in virus cases and an expedited inoculation drive, Turkey has entered a new normalization phase, lifting almost all virus-related restrictions.