UPDATE - Turkiye reports over 3,300 new coronavirus cases

UPDATES WITH PRESIDENT ERDOGAN’S REMARKS ON COVID-19 SITUATION IN TURKIYE

By Busra Nur Cakmak

ANKARA (AA) – Turkiye registered 3,354 new coronavirus cases in the last 24 hours, official data showed on Thursday.

The Health Ministry said 17 virus-related fatalities and 18,964 recoveries were also recorded over the past day, while 153,733 tests were done.

To counter the spread of the virus, Turkiye has administered over 147.4 million COVID-19 vaccine doses since it launched an immunization drive in January 2021.

Over 57.8 million people have received a first jab, while more than 53 million are fully vaccinated.

Speaking at an iftar dinner with healthcare professionals, Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan said the pandemic underlined the urgent need for high quality medical services and robust healthcare infrastructure.

“Our nation witnessed the fight put up by our healthcare professionals and all the sacrifices they rendered in these challenging times. For this, our nation will always remember them with gratitude,” he said.

The pandemic has shown the entire world that nothing is more important for happiness than a healthy life, he added.

Turkiye, he said, managed to save tens of thousands of lives by building new hospitals to handle the growing burden during the pandemic.

Then, with its domestically developed Turkovac vaccine, Turkiye gave vital protection to millions of people across the world, said Erdogan.

“The strength of our healthcare system, the effectiveness of our precautions, and the positive impact of the vaccination campaign have all brought about this significant decrease in infections,” he added.