Expert urges avoiding unnecessary medication

A senior Turkish psychiatrist called on people to avoid stocking unnecessary food, cleaning materials and medicine due to panic and anxiety caused by the spread of the coronavirus.

"People tend to act more in panic and anxiety during these times," Akfer Karaoğlan Kahiloğulları, who is the director of the World Health Organization's Turkey Office's Mental Health Department, told Anadolu Agency.

"It is thought that excessive storage of food, cleaning supplies, or medicines are related to anxiety and uncertainty," Kahiloğulları said.

Avoiding unnecessary medication is important in the fight against the coronavirus, which is known as COVID-19, she added.

"Someone else might need those drugs," she added.

After first appearing in Wuhan, China, last December, the novel coronavirus has spread to at least 175 countries and territories, according to data compiled by the U.S.-based Johns Hopkins University.

The data shows more than 474,000 cases have been reported worldwide since last December, with the death toll above 21,000 and over 115,000 successful recoveries.

In Turkey, COVID-19 has so far claimed 59 lives, while 2,433 have tested positive.