İstanbul's share decreases in new Covid-19 cases as the virus spreads in Anatolia

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While İstanbul, the largest city of Turkey with a population of 16 million, has been the epicenter of the coronavirus epidemic with having more than half of the cases in the country, its share in new cases has decreased since in the summer, according to the Ministry of Health's situation reports. 

The latest weekly situation report covering between July 27 and August 2 shows that 1,136 of the 6,753 weekly new cases, or 16.8 percent of the cases, were reported in İstanbul.

Geopgaphical distribution of the cases between July 27 and August 2 (Table: Ministry of Health)

The latest daily report dated August 8 shows that 177 of the 1,174 new cases were found in the city.

As of August 2, İstanbul had more than half of the 233,860 total cases in the country with 117,043.

The government announced a series of reopening steps in early June, including the lift of intercity travel restrictions.

Geopgaphical distribution of the cases on August 8 (Table: Ministry of Health)

During the summer, the virus has spread throughout the country, most notably in Southeastern and Western Anatolia, which had 1,746 and 1,110 weekly cases, respectively.

Amid the reducing infection rates in İstanbul, Governor Ali Yerlikaya announced that new committees were set up for following the work of contact tracing teams.

"We have 503 contact racing teams on the field in İstanbul. Thankfully, the time to reach our citizens with a positive result at their homes and provide a contact tracing service has fallen below 24 hours," Yerlikaya said after a meeting with provincial and district officials yesterday (August 10).

"Those who carry the Covid-19 virus and everyone who comes into contact with them must be isolated in their homes for 14 days, and the entrance and exit to their homes must be restricted and controlled.

"For this purpose, with the instructions of our Ministry of Interior, we have established 'Contact Tracing Works Follow-up Committees' under the chairpersonship of our sub-governors in our districts.

"Through these committees, we will follow the changes in the number of patients, inpatients, seriously ill and in isolation in Istanbul." (TP/VK)