UPDATE - Italy, Spain thank Turkey for medical aid

CHANGES HEADLINE, DECK, ADDS FURTHER DETAILS

By Barıs Seckin

ROME (AA) - Italy and Spain’s foreign ministers thanked Turkey on Wednesday for helping their countries combat the novel coronavirus.

“Today's help is very important to us. We thank President [Recep Tayyip] Erdogan, Foreign Minister [Mevlut] Cavusoglu and all Turkish people for their solidarity, said Italian Foreign Minister Luigi Di Maio.

On Wednesday, Turkey sent a plane carrying medical supplies including masks, overalls and hand sanitizers to Italy, which has reported the highest number of deaths so far from the coronavirus.

Spain’s Foreign Minister Arancha Gonzalez Laya also thanked Turkey for providing medical aid in a post on Twitter.

Cavusoglu separately responded to messages from his counterparts, noting friends support each other in difficult times.

After first appearing in the Chinese city of Wuhan in December, the virus, officially known as COVID-19, has spread to at least 176 countries and regions.

The global death toll from the virus has hit 46,809 with 932,605 confirmed cases and 193,177 recoveries, according to U.S.-based Johns Hopkins University.

The coronavirus attacks the respiratory tract with the potential to cause pneumonia and death.

Despite its severity, most people experience mild symptoms and recover, but the elderly and those with pre-existing conditions are particularly vulnerable to the virus.