Turkey sees 98 more coronavirus deaths, toll rises to 1,296

By Jeyhun Aliyev and Seda Sevencan

ANKARA (AA) - Turkey on Monday confirmed 98 more deaths from the novel coronavirus in the country over the past 24 hours, bringing the death toll to 1,296.

The total number of registered coronavirus cases surged to 61,049 as 4,093 more people tested positive for the virus, Health Minister Fahrettin Koca said on Twitter, sharing the ministry's link for daily updates of coronavirus figures.

So far, a total of 3,957 have recovered and been discharged from hospital, Koca said.

He also stressed that 34,456 tests were conducted over the past day, with the overall number of tests hitting 410,556.

Turkey is currently treating 1,786 patients in intensive care units, according to the figures.

After originating in China last December, COVID-19, the disease caused by coronavirus, has spread to at least 185 countries and regions across the world, with its epicenter shifting to Europe.

The pandemic has killed over 116,000 people, and infected over 1.86 million, while more than 441,000 people have recovered from the disease, according to figures compiled by the U.S.' Johns Hopkins University.