Turkey: Coronavirus death toll climbs to 59

By Havva Kara Aydin and Dilara Hamit

ANKARA (AA) - Turkey confirmed 15 more deaths from the novel coronavirus late on Wednesday, bringing the total number of fatalities to 59.

A total of 5,035 coronavirus tests have been conducted in the last 24 hours on people suspected of contracting the virus, and 561 tested positive, bringing the tally of infections to 2,433, Health Minister Fahrettin Koca said on Twitter.

While most victims of the virus worldwide were among the elderly, health officials fear they may have contracted it from the young carriers who may be asymptomatic.

After emerging in Wuhan, China last December, coronavirus has spread to at least 172 countries and regions, according to data compiled by the U.S.-based Johns Hopkins University.

Out of more than 458,900 confirmed cases, the death toll now exceeds 20,800, while nearly 113,600 have recovered.

Italy, China, Iran, and Spain continue to be the most affected countries.

Despite the rising number of cases, a vast majority of those infected by the virus suffer mild symptoms and recover.