Turkish, Chinese presidents discuss COVID-19

By Berk Ozkan

ISTANBUL (AA) - Presidents of Turkey and China talked over the phone to discuss cooperation in fighting the novel coronavirus, Turkey's Communications Directorate said on Wednesday.

Recep Tayyip Erdogan and Xi Jinping also discussed bilateral relations, the directorate added.

Coronavirus has infected 34,109 people in Turkey so far, causing 725 deaths, while 1,582 people have recovered.

The Chinese health officials said that 81,802 confirmed cases have been reported across the country since last December, while 3,333 people have died. Most of the cases and deaths were reported from Hubei where the virus first emerged in the world.

Since December, the new coronavirus has spread to at least 184 countries and regions.

There are more than 1.44 million confirmed cases worldwide, with the death toll exceeding 83,400 deaths, and over 308,200 recoveries, according to the U.S.-based Johns Hopkins University.

*Writing by Handan Kazanci