The number of
recovered novel coronavirus patients in
Turkey has reached 108,137 with 2,004 additions in past 24 hours, according to latest data released by the
health ministry on Saturday.
The death toll from
COVID-19 pandemic has risen to 4,096 after 41 more people die from the global outbreak over past 24 hours, Health Minister
Fahrettin Koca announced via a social media post to update public over the
latest developments related to the
novel coronavirus pandemic.
The total number of
coronavirus cases has increased to 148,067 with 1,610 newly reported cases over last 24 hours, Minister Koca added.
The
number of patients in
intensive care and the proportion of fatalities in
intensive care patients is decreasing, Koca said, stressing that there is a predictable
slowdown in the recovery rate.
As many as
42,236 tests were conducted in the country over the past 24 hours, bringing the
total number of tests to over 1.58 million, Koca said.
There are currently
906 patients in Turkey's
intensive care units.
Fifteen provinces, including
Istanbul, are on a
four-day lockdown. The country has instituted
partial lockdowns to combat the
novel coronavirus. People under 20 and above 65 have been stuck at home for weeks though they are now allowed to leave for a few hours on allotted days.
Other
easing measures have gone into effect, including the opening of malls, barbershops and hair dressers. The number of provinces under lockdown on weekends and
national holidays has dropped from 31 to 15.
Also Saturday, Turkey's Tourism Minister
Mehmet Nuri Ersoy told private broadcaster NTV he hoped for domestic tourism to begin after May 28 if
COVID-19 statistics continue on a downward trend.
"Since first appearing China last December, the
novel coronavirus causing the
COVID-19 disease has spread to at least 188 countries and regions, with the
US and
Europe the hardest-hit areas.
The pandemic has killed over
309,000 worldwide, with more than 4.58 million
confirmed cases, while recoveries have surpassed 1.65 million, according to figures compiled by
Johns Hopkins University in the US.
