Turkey reports more than 68,000 COVID-19 cases

The Turkish Health Ministry reported more than 68,000 COVID-19 cases, the country's Health Ministry reported on Thursday.

To stem the virus's spread, the country has also administered more than 134.86 million doses of COVID-19 vaccines since it launched an immunization drive in January 2021, said new ministry figures.

At least 57.03 million people have gotten the first jab, while nearly 51.8 million have been fully vaccinated, the ministry said. Turkiye has given third booster shots to more than 20.71 million people.

The ministry reported 68,413 new COVID-19 cases, 156 deaths, and 25,502 recoveries over the past day. Also, some 418,823 virus tests were done in the past 24 hours.

Meanwhile, Health Minister Fahrettin Koca said on Twitter: "You should not stay for a long time in closed environments with limited ventilation and in restaurants and cafes where masks are not used.

"Meetings with high attendance, crowded and long-term meetings at home, and entertainment venues increase contamination. The importance of the measures has increased tremendously."

Since December 2019, the pandemic has claimed over 5.46 million lives in at least 192 countries and regions, with more than 298.19 million cases reported worldwide, according to the US' Johns Hopkins University.