Turkiye reports nearly 29,500 new coronavirus cases

By Merve Berker, Dilara Hamit and Burak Bir

ANKARA (AA) - Turkiye on Thursday reported 29,492 new coronavirus cases.

According to the Health Ministry, 140 related deaths and 62,245 recoveries were recorded in the past 24 hours, and as many as 358,846 virus tests were done.

To counter the spread of the virus, Turkiye has administered more than 146.1 million doses of COVID-19 vaccines since it launched an immunization drive in January 2021.

More than 57.7 million people have received a first vaccine jab, while over 52.8 million have been immunized twice.

As the virus seems to be receding, Turkiye last week scrapped the outdoor mask mandate, a longtime measure to stem the spread of COVID-19.

Since December 2019, the virus has claimed over 6.02 million lives in at least 192 countries and regions, with more than 452.4 million cases reported worldwide, according to the US' Johns Hopkins University.