Turkey updates coronavirus case count as 1.74 million

Photo: AA

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The total number of Covid-19 cases in the country stands at 1.74 million, according to the Health Ministry figures released today (December 10).

The ministry announced total cases for the first time after Minister Fahrettin Koca admitted yesterday that the count had exceeded one-and-a-half million.

The number of the country's total cases was not clear as the ministry was reporting only symptomatic cases until late November.

The disclosure of the figures came after months of criticism by medical organizations and opposition parties, who have claimed that the official figures are not accurate.

With this update, Turkey has become the country with the eighth most cases in the world.

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The ministry also reported 30,424 more coronavirus infections, including 5,918 symptomatic patients, for the past 24 hours.

The total number of symptomatic cases, which the ministry refers to as "patients," reached 564,435 with the latest additions.

As many as 5,232 patients recovered over the past day, bringing the tally to 452,593, while the death toll rose to 15,751 with 220 additions.

Table: Health Ministry

Across the country, more than 206,000 tests were carried out, pushing the total to over 20.5 million.

The number of patients in critical condition now stands at 5,943, though the rate of increase in severe cases is declining.

"We have started to feel the effects of the measures taken," Turkish Health Minister Fahrettin Koca said on Twitter.

On November 25, the government imposed its strictest measures since the start of the pandemic, implementing countrywide curfews on weeknights and weekends

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