Turkiye reports over 1,400 new coronavirus cases

ANKARA (AA) - Turkiye registered 1,480 new coronavirus cases in the last 24 hours, according to official data released Sunday.

The Health Ministry said 12 virus-related fatalities and 2,113 recoveries were recorded in the same period while 108,802 tests were also conducted.

To stem the spread of the virus, Turkiye has administered nearly 147.5 million COVID-19 vaccine doses since it launched an immunization drive in January 2021.

Over 57.81 million people have received their first jab, while more than 53 million are fully vaccinated.

The number of people in Turkiye who have been diagnosed with the coronavirus since the pandemic began totals over 15 million.

Turkiye’s Health Minister Fahrettin Koca said on Twitter that when the number of daily coronavirus cases drops under 1,000, locals can stop using face masks on public transportation.

On Tuesday, Turkiye lifted its longtime indoor mask mandate except in public transport and hospitals.

On Friday, COVID-19-related fatalities in Turkiye fell to single digits, the first time the figure has been that low in over two years, Koca said.

Nine people lost their lives to the coronavirus on Friday, he said.

The last time coronavirus fatalities were as low was on March 24, 2020, during the early days of the pandemic.

Meanwhile, the global case tally topped 513.7 million, according to US-based Johns Hopkins University.

Since December 2019, the pandemic has claimed more than 6.23 million lives in at least 192 countries and regions.