Number of Turkey's recovered COVID-19 patients close to 128,000 mark - health ministry

The number of Turkey's COVID-19 cases remains at the "anticipated level," while the number of patients who need respiratory support continues to drop, according to Turkey's top health authority on Sunday.

The number of patients who recovered from the disease reached almost 128,000 as 989 more were discharged from hospitals over the past day, Health Minister Fahrettin Koca said on Twitter, sharing the latest official coronavirus figures.

Turkey reported a total of 839 new cases, bringing the infection tally to 163,942, Koca added.

The death toll from pandemic rose to 4,540 as the country reported 25 new fatalities in the last 24 hours, according to the data from the Health Ministry.

A total of 648 patients are being treated in intensive care due to COVID-19, the figures showed.

Koca reiterated the importance of hand hygiene, wearing masks and keeping social distance.

Since first appearing in China last December, the novel coronavirus has spread to at least 188 countries and regions.

The US, Brazil, Russia, and several European countries are currently the hardest hit in the world.

The pandemic has killed more than 370,000 people worldwide, with more than 6.1 million confirmed cases, while recoveries surpassed 2.59 million, according to figures compiled by the US' Johns Hopkins University.