UPDATE 2 - Turkey: Death toll from coronavirus hits 1,769

UPDATES BACKGROUND; ADDS DETAILS

Erdogan Cagatay Zontur

ANKARA (AA) - Turkey on Friday confirmed 126 more deaths from the novel coronavirus over the past 24 hours, bringing the death toll to 1,769.

The total number of registered coronavirus cases surged to 78,546 as 4,353 more people tested positive for the virus, Health Minister Fahrettin Koca said following Coronavirus Science Board meeting in the capital Ankara.

So far, a total of 8,631 have recovered and been discharged from hospitals, Koca added.

He also said 40,270 tests were conducted over the past day, with the total number of tests reaching 558,413.

“With the rising number of tests, the number of cases continues to increase, but the rising speed of the cases has dropped. It will not be surprising to have a flattening in the coming days,” Koca said.

Turkey is currently treating 1,845 patients in intensive care units, noted the minister.

The intensive care occupancy stands nearly at 60% and the bed occupancy nearly at 50%, Koca noted, and called this situation "Turkey's success".

The filiation method of screening the chain of contact in infectious disease is also part of the country's efforts to curb the virus, Koca said, adding: “As of today, 322,754 people have been identified in the contact chain. The rate of filiation reached 97.5%”.

Before the curfew, 35% of cases in Turkey were among people who are 65 years old or older, while this percentage drops to 18% after the curfew, Koca said.

"The citizens should not give up measures to avoid new fluctuations and they should have a little more patience," he added.

Turkey imposed a 48-hour curfew in 31 provinces across the country on April 11-12, implemented as part of measures to curb the spread of the novel coronavirus.

The next curfew will be imposed on April 18-19.

After originating in China last December, COVID-19, the disease caused by coronavirus, has spread to at least 185 countries and regions across the world. Europe and the U.S. are currently the worst-hit regions.

The pandemic has killed over 149,300 people, with total infections exceeding 2.2 million, while nearly 561,000 have recovered from the disease, according to figures compiled by the U.S.-based Johns Hopkins University.