Turkiye reports 17,426 new coronavirus cases

By Ahmet Gencturk and Faruk Zorlu

ANKARA (AA) - Turkiye reported 17,426 new coronavirus cases on Sunday.

According to the Health Ministry, 138 related deaths and 35,568 recoveries were recorded in the past 24 hours, and as many as 298,252 virus tests were done.

To counter the spread of the virus, Turkiye has administered more than 146.24 million doses of COVID-19 vaccines since it launched an immunization drive in January 2021.

Over 57.73 million people have received a first vaccine jab, while nearly 52.9 million have been immunized twice.

As the virus seems to be receding, Turkiye earlier this month scrapped the outdoor mask mandate, a longtime measure to stem the spread of COVID-19.

Since December 2019, the virus has claimed over 6 million lives in at least 192 countries and regions, with more than 456.9 million cases reported worldwide, according to the US' Johns Hopkins University.​​​​​​​​​​​​​​