Turkey's Coronavirus Cases Top 100 Thousand, WHO Says Outbreak Stabilizing

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The Health Ministry has confirmed 115 more fatalities from the novel coronavirus over the past 24 hours, bringing the total death toll to 2,491.

The total number of registered coronavirus cases surged to 101,790, as 3,116 more people tested positive for the virus, the ministry stated.

So far, a total of 18,491 patients have been discharged from hospitals after recovering from the virus, with 2,014 discharged today. A total of 40,962 tests were conducted over the past 24 hours, with the total reaching 791,906.

"Today we are in a better condition than yesterday. We came to this point with a total of 791,906 tests, with none of them done randomly," Health Minister Fahrettin Koca said in a tweet. To detect possible infections due to contact, screenings were done for each diagnosis, he added.

WHO: We are seeing cautiously optimistic signs

World Health Organization earlier stated that the number of aces were stabilizing in Turkey.

"In Turkey, at the moment, we are seeing close to 100 thousand cases... We have seen an approximate increase in cases of some 47 percent, so we are still seeing some level of increase," Catherine Smallwood, WHO's senior health emergency officer for Europe, told a video news conference earlier.

"However, the overall trend in Turkey is that the number of cases is beginning to come down or to stabilize. Overall, we are seeing cautiously optimistic signs."

CLICK - WHO Europe: Covid-19 Cases Increase in Turkey, Russia, UK

At the same briefing, Dr. Hans P. Kluge, WHO regional director for Europe, said that almost 50 percent of the global burden of COVID-19 cases – over 1.2 million – were in the European region.

"Make no mistake, we remain in very turbulent water and will do so for some time," he remarked.

Kluge said the pandemic had shone a spotlight on the overlooked and undervalued corners of society.

"Across the European region, long-term care has often been notoriously neglected. But it should not be this way," he said.

He spoke of the dedicated and compassionate people working in long-term care facilities who are often overstretched, underpaid and unprotected, and that they "are the unsung heroes of this pandemic."

"We must do all we can to ensure that those workers have PPE and other essential supplies to protect themselves and those they care for; to provide appropriate remuneration for the long hours and difficult work they have, and make sure they have the appropriate training to carry out their work," said Kluge. (EKN/VK)