Turkiye reports over 17,100 new coronavirus cases

By Ahmet Gencturk and Burak Dag

ANKARA (AA) - Turkiye registered 17,161 new coronavirus cases on Wednesday, the Health Ministry said.

The ministry said 84 virus-related fatalities and 20,309 recoveries were also recorded in the past 24 hours, and 301,014 tests were done.

To counter the spread of the virus, Turkiye has administered more than 146.61 million COVID-19 vaccine doses since it launched an immunization drive in January 2021.

More than 57.76 million people have received a first vaccine jab, while 52.94 million have been immunized twice.

As the virus seems to be receding, Turkiye scrapped its outdoor mask mandate in early March, a longtime measure to stem the spread of COVID-19.

Since December 2019, the pandemic has claimed more than 6.10 million lives in at least 192 countries and regions, with over 474.4 million cases reported, according to the US-based Johns Hopkins University.