Turkey Reports 73 Deaths in a Day from Covid-19, Total Cases Exceed 27 Thousand

The country's death toll from the novel coronavirus pandemic has surged to 574 while 3,135 people were found to be infected in the last 24 hours.

İstanbul

Turkey Reports 73 Deaths in a Day from Covid-19, Total Cases Exceed 27 Thousand

Photo: AA

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The Health Ministry confirmed today (April 5) that 73 people died from coronavirus in the last 24 hours, bringing the country's death toll to 574.

The total number of cases climbed to 27,069 as 3,135 people tested positive in a day. Also, 20,065 tests were conducted today and the number of tests carried out stands at 181,425. The country has recently increased the number of daily tests to around 20 thousand.

So far, 1,042 people have recovered from the disease while 1,381 people are in intensive care, with 935 intubated. The number of patients in intensive care increases by nearly a hundred every day and 80 percent of all intensive care units in the country are already occupied, according to figures on the Health Ministry's website.

The fatality rate of Covid-19 in the country is just above 2 percent. More than 60 percent of the deceased people were older than 60, the ministry previously stated.

İstanbul, the largest city of Turkey with a population of nearly 16 million, has been the most affected city from the pandemic, having around 60 percent of the confirmed cases.

President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan announced new measures on Friday (April 3), including travel restrictions from and to 31 cities, including İstanbul and the capital Ankara, a curfew for people younger than 20 years age and obligatory use of face masks in crowded places, such as grocery stores and public transport vehicles.

CLICK - All Updates on Turkey's Coronavirus Tally

Previously, the Interior Ministry shut down most venues and cancelled mass events, as well as quarantining dozens of settlements in various parts of the country.

The novel coronavirus outbreak began in China's Wuhan city in December 2019. It has now spread to at least 180 countries and territories, infecting over 1.2 million people and killing more than 65 thousand, according to data compiled by John Hopkins University in the US. Over 250 thousand people have recovered from the disease. The US, Italy, China, Iran and Spain have been the most affected countries.

About the novel coronavirus

What is a coronavirus?

Coronaviruses are a large family of viruses which may cause illness in animals or humans. In humans, several coronaviruses are known to cause respiratory infections ranging from the common cold to more severe diseases such as Middle East Respiratory Syndrome (MERS) and Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome (SARS). The most recently discovered coronavirus causes coronavirus disease Covid-19.

What is Covid-19?

Covid-19 is the infectious disease caused by the most recently discovered coronavirus. This new virus and disease were unknown before the outbreak began in Wuhan, China, in December 2019.

How does Covid-19 spread?

People can catch Covid-19 from others who have the virus. The disease can spread from person to person through small droplets from the nose or mouth which are spread when a person with Covid-19 coughs or exhales. These droplets land on objects and surfaces around the person. Other people then catch Covid-19 by touching these objects or surfaces, then touching their eyes, nose or mouth. Studies to date suggest that the virus is mainly transmitted through contact with respiratory droplets rather than through the air.

Source: World Health Organization

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