Turkey: Test numbers up, new virus cases stay low

By Seda Sevencan and Ali Murat Alhas

ANKARA (AA) - Turkey on Thursday registered 961 new cases, bringing the total to 153,548, while the number of active cases dropped to 34,309, according to data shared by the country's health minister.

Recoveries from COVID-19 hit 114,990 as 1,003 more patients were discharged from hospitals over the past day, Fahrettin Koca said on Twitter.

The death toll from the outbreak rose to 4,249 as the country reported 27 new fatalities in the last 24 hours, Koca noted.

Healthcare professionals conducted more than 33,600 tests in the same period, raising the overall number to over 1.72 million, he said.

There are currently 820 patients under intensive care, the minister added.

Since first appearing in China last December, the novel coronavirus causing the COVID-19 disease has spread to at least 188 countries and regions. The US, Russia, Brazil, and several European countries are currently the hardest-hit in the world.

The pandemic has killed at least 329,300 worldwide, with more than 4.85 million confirmed cases, while recoveries have surpassed 1.91 million, according to figures compiled by Johns Hopkins University in the US.