Turkey's Coronavirus Death Toll Tops 500, Doubles Every Three Days

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Turkey's death toll from the novel coronavirus pandemic has climbed to 501 with 76 deaths in the last 24 hours, the Health Ministry has announced on its website. The number of Covid-19 cases in the country has reached 23,934 with 3,013 new cases, according to the statement.

A total of 161,380 people have been tested since the beginning of the pandemic and 19,664 people were tested in the last 24 hours. The number of patients in intensive care is 1,311 with 909 intubated patients, while 786 have recovered so far.

"12.18 percent of 161.380 tests carried out so far took place within the last 24 hours," Health Minister Fahrettin Koca noted in a tweet. He added, "The virus gets its power from the contact environment. Let's not give this opportunity to the virus."

Figures by the ministry shows that the number of deaths doubles every three days since March 22.

İstanbul Mayor insists that a curfew is necessary

İstanbul Mayor Ekrem İmamoğlu yesterday (April 3) reiterated his calls for a curfew in the metropolis. "We can save many more people's lives with a curfew," he said in a program on Tele 1 TV.

Main opposition Republican People's Party (CHP) Chair Kemal Kılıçdaroğlu backed the mayor, releasing a video statement. He asserted that the mayor knows the needs of the city "much better than the government."

İstanbul is the most affected city from coronavirus in the country, having 60 percent of the confirmed cases.

Health Minister Fahrettin Koca also said yesterday that the measures were not enough, especially for İstanbul, to decrease the mobility of people.

President and Justice and Development Party (AKP) Chair Recep Tayyip Erdoğan announced new measures yesterday, including travel restrictions from and to 31 cities, 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.

As part of measures against the pandemic, 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 1.1 million people and killing more than 60 thousand, according to data compiled by John Hopkins University in the US. Over 230 thousand people have recovered from the disease. Italy, China, Iran, Spain and the US have been the most affected countries.

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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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