Turkey on Wednesday saw a slight increase in the number of novel coronavirus cases and deaths, while recoveries increased to nearly 80,000, the country’s health minister said.
“TURKEY HAS PROVED SUCCESS”
A total of 78,202 people have recovered so far from coronavirus in Turkey, Fahrettin Koca said on Twitter. The death toll from the pandemic rose to 3,584 as Turkey saw 64 more fatalities in the past 24 hours, he added.
The country recorded 2,253 new cases, bringing the tally to 131,744, Koca added.
Also, over 30,303 additional tests have been conducted over the last 24 hours, and the total number of tests has so far exceeded 1.23 million. Also, the number of ICU patients and those on ventilators continued to drop, Koca added.
The results of efforts to counter the virus, as well as success in diagnosis and treatment in the country, has proved that Turkey has the pandemic under control, Fahrettin Koca told reporters after the virtual meeting of Coronavirus Advisory Board in the capital Ankara.
Describing the new phase with loosened restrictions as “controlled social life,” Koca said: “The outbreak is under control but the realities on the virus have not changed.” “Our home remains the safest environment against the virus,” he stressed.
The coronavirus threat has not disappeared yet, Koca said. “This is possible by the isolation and treatment of the final [coronavirus] case.”
The official underscored that the new phase is not a “typical normalization period in the sense we know.” “The risk continues,” he said. “Losing the control will be an invitation for a second wave. We have seen this in many countries. In this new period, we will not decrease but increase our test capacity. We will detect the cases early,” he said, adding that the regular scans in public places will be made.
Touching on measures that will come in the second phase of coronavirus battle, Koca underlined that there is no decision yet to open restaurants and cafes in Turkey and they will continue to be closed until further notice.