Photo: AA
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Turkey's coronavirus tally has increased to 2,433 cases and 59 deaths, Health Minister Fahrettin Koca announced today (March 25).
In the last 24 hours, 5,035 people were tested for coronavirus and 561 of them were found to be infected, the minister said in a tweet.
Turkey confirmed its first case on March 11 and first death on March 17.
26 patients recovered
At least 26 Covid-19 patients, including two above 60 years old, have recovered and been discharged from hospitals in Turkey, Minister Koca told a press briefing earlier.
"Both elder patients were successfully treated in intensive care units," he said after a meeting of the the ministry's science council, adding that one of the patients was 60 years old and the other 65.
Koca said the virus also infected many middle-aged people around the world as well. "The number of middle-aged patients is not small. The virus does not distinguish between the young, old and the middle-aged," said Koca, urging all citizens to stay at home.
Koca stressed that Turkey was in a better position due to its timely response since the beginning of the coronavirus outbreak.
Updates will be shared on the ministry's website
Koca also said that detailed information on the outbreak in Turkey, including the number of cases, provinces where the cases found and the nuber of recovered patients will soon be shared on the ministry's website. So far, the miniser has been sharing the number of positive test results and died patients on his Twitter account daily. Occupational organizations have been calling on the ministry to be more transparent since the situation became severe in the country.
The novel coronavirus outbreak began in China's Wuhan city in December and has so far affected more than 160 countries and territories around the world, according to data compiled by Washington University in the US. It infected nearly 380 thousand people and killed more than 17 thousand. World Health Organization (WHO) declared the outbreak a pandemic on March 11.
Map: Washington University |
About the novel coronavirusWhat 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. Can the new coronavirus be transmitted through the air? Studies to date suggest that the virus that causes Covid-19 is mainly transmitted through contact with respiratory droplets rather than through the air. Source: World Health Organization |
(EKN/VK)
