Turkey’s daily COVID-19 patients top 2,000 for 2nd day in a row

By Jeyhun Aliyev and Dilan Pamuk

ANKARA (AA) - Turkey confirmed 2,102 more COVID-19 patients over the past 24 hours, the authorities announced on Thursday.

The country's overall coronavirus patient count now stands at 355,528, according to Health Ministry data. On Wednesday, 2,013 new coronavirus patients were reported in the country.

Turkey registered another 1,581 recoveries over the past day, raising the tally to 310,027.

As many as 117,198 new tests were conducted since Wednesday, bringing the total to more than 12.8 million.

Meanwhile, the virus-linked death toll in Turkey reached 9,584 with 71 new fatalities reported.

The number of patients in critical condition now stands at 1,599.

Health Minister Fahrettin Koca urged the public to comply with health measures and keep wearing masks.

"The most important challenge for our health care professionals is to treat seriously ill patients and reduce their numbers. Our part is far easier. Support the struggle [against virus] by complying with the precautions, especially by wearing the mask," he said on Twitter.

Wearing masks is compulsory in all public areas and outdoors in Turkey.

Nearly 41.4 million people have tested positive for the novel pandemic globally, while over 1.13 million have died, and around 28.2 recovered, according to Johns Hopkins University’s running tally.

The US, India, and Brazil are currently the worst-hit countries.