Turkiye's daily COVID-19 cases surpass 80,000 for 1st time

By Burak Dag and Handan Kazanci

ANKARA (AA) – Turkiye’s daily coronavirus cases surpassed 80,000 on Thursday, the highest since the beginning of the pandemic, according to official data.

The Health Ministry registered 82,180 new infections, 174 related deaths, and 83,225 recoveries over the past day. As many as 424,164 virus tests were done in the last 24 hours.

To stem the spread of the virus, the country continues its immunization drive and has administered more than 141.41 million doses of COVID-19 vaccines since January 2021.

More than 57.38 million people have gotten the first jab, while over 52.33 million are fully vaccinated. Third booster shots have also been given to 24.67 million people.

Since December 2019, the pandemic has claimed over 5.62 million lives in at least 192 countries and regions, with over 363 million cases reported worldwide, according to the US-based Johns Hopkins University.