Turkey: Urgent meeting to coordinate fight against COVID-19

ANKARA (AA) - Turkey this Wednesday will hold an urgent meeting to coordinate the fight against coronavirus as chaired by President Recep Tayyip Erdogan, said Turkey's communications director.

"President Erdogan will head an extensive urgent coordination meeting on the fight with coronavirus. Following the meeting, he will tell the public about future steps to be taken," Fahrettin Altun said late Monday on Twitter.

The novel coronavirus known as COVID-19 emerged in Wuhan, China last December, and has so far spread to at least 146 countries and territories, with the World Health Organization declaring the outbreak a pandemic.

According to Worldometer, a website that compiles new case numbers, out of roughly 173,000 confirmed cases, the death toll is over 6,600, while more than 77,500 of them have recovered.

The current number of active cases worldwide is over 88,500, with 93% in mild condition, and 7% in critical condition.

Turkey yesterday announced there are 18 cases of coronavirus in the country.

*Writing by Firdevs Bulut