Turkiye reports more than 14,000 new coronavirus cases

By Merve Aydogan

ANKARA (AA) - Turkiye registered 14,336 new coronavirus cases on Thursday, according to the Health Ministry.

It said 56 virus-related fatalities and 16,435 recoveries were recorded in the past 24 hours with 272,196 tests conducted.

To counter the spread of the virus, Turkiye has administered nearly 147 million COVID-19 vaccine doses since it launched an immunization drive in January 2021.

More than 57.78 million people have received a first vaccine jab, while almost 53 million have been immunized twice. The number of booster shots administered has exceeded 27.63 million.

With the virus receding, Turkiye in early March scrapped its outdoor mask mandate, a longtime measure to stem the spread of COVID-19.

Since December 2019, the pandemic has claimed more than 6.14 million lives in at least 192 countries and regions, with over 487.11 million cases reported, according to US-based Johns Hopkins University.