Minister Says Turkey Reached 'Peak of Coronavirus' as Death Toll Tops 3,000

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The Health Ministry has confirmed 89 additional fatalities from the virus over the past 24 hours, bringing the total death toll to 3,081.

The total number of cases rose to 117,589, with 2,936 new cases. The number of recoveries from the novel coronavirus has reached 44,022, surpassing one-third of the total case tally.

"I can say that we are in the peak period," Health Minister Fahrettin Koca said at a press conference after a meeting with the ministry's science committee. "We see that it is in the downtrend. Permanence is important. If the necessary precautions are not followed, it may lead to a new wave."

The minister also said that 7,428 health workers have been infected with coronavirus, making up nearly 6.5 percent of all cases. 

Intensive care patient numbers continued to drop, with the number of new cases as predicted, according to Koca. A total of 43,498 tests for the virus were conducted over the past 24 hours, with the total reaching 991,613, according to the data.

CLICK - All Updates on Turkey's Coronavirus Tally

After originating in China last December, COVID-19, the disease caused by the coronavirus, has spread to at least 185 countries and regions across the world. Europe and the US are currently the worst-hit regions.

The pandemic has killed more than 218,700 people, with total infections exceeding 3.14 million, while nearly 950,000 have recovered from the disease, according to figures compiled by the US-based Johns Hopkins University. (EKN/VK)