Turkey's Health Minister expects rise in Covid-19 cases due to lack of measures during Eid

Photo: AA

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The Health Ministry yesterday (July 2) confirmed 987 more novel coronavirus cases, bringing the tally to 232,856.

According to the ministry figures, total recoveries reached 216,494 as 978 more people recovered from Covid-19.

The country's death toll from the disease rose to 5,728, with 18 new fatalities over the past 24 hours.

Table: Health Ministry

Health Minister Fahrettin Koca said on Twitter that the rate of pneumonia remained the same in the provinces where the number of cases increased in the last three days.

The number of critically ill patients across the country is under control, he added.

He also expressed his concerns over the lack of measures during the Muslim Eid al-Adha (Sacrifice Feast) holiday and said that its possible results would be seen in the coming days.

On Saturday, Koca had said that the number of cases are increasing in the capital Ankara, Mardin, Diyarbakır, Antep and Konya provinces.

Healthcare professionals conducted more than 40,247 tests for Covid-19 over the past day, raising the tally to over 4.88 million.

The coronavirus pandemic has claimed more than 679,400 lives in 188 countries and regions since it originated in China last December. The US, Brazil, India, and Russia are currently the worst-hit countries in the world.

More than 17.83 million Covid-19 cases have been reported worldwide, with recoveries exceeding 10.59 million, according to figures compiled by the US' Johns Hopkins University.

(HA/VK)