Covid-19: Turkey's Death Toll Hits 4,171, Cases Exceed 150,000

An empty Bağdat Avenue in İstanbul during a four-day curfew. (Photo: bianet)

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Turkey's death toll from the new coronavirus pandemic rose to 4,171 as the country reported 31 new fatalities over the past 24 hours, the Health Ministry has announced. The country also registered 1,158 new cases, bringing the tally to 150,593.

"The number of our patients who need intensive care and respiratory support continues to decrease. The number of cases is predictable. In our fight against the spread of coronavirus, the days we stay at home are very important. Let's stay at home tomorrow," Health Minister Fahrettin Koca said in a tweet. There is currenly a curfew in place for 15 larger cities until tomorrow (May 19) night.

Here are today's figures:

Minister: Turkey is among the countries that detect cases the quickest

Turkey has been one of the countries detecting Covid-19 cases the most rapidly and it took an important step by starting treatment at an early stage, Minister koca told the World Health Assembly (WHA) today.

"It is among the best-performing countries in terms of mortality rate and burden on the health care system. Thanks to the measures taken, Turkey was able to delay the arrival of the virus for three months and used this time to prepare its hospitals and health care system for the outbreak," he said.

He noted that the occupancy rate in Turkey's hospitals is still below 40 percent and below 60 percent in intensive care units. "Turkey is one of the few countries providing all services to its citizens free of charge under universal health coverage. We are always ready to exchange knowledge and experiences."

CLICK - All Updates on Turkey's Coronavrus Tally

The two-day 73rd WHA is the decision-making body of the World Health Organization and it is attended by delegations from all 194 WHO member states.

Earlier WHO Director-General Tedros Adhanoms Ghebreyesus said in a speech that he will launch an independent review of the organization's handling of COVID-19 crisis as soon as possible.

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 310,000 worldwide, with more than 4.7 million confirmed cases, while recoveries have surpassed 1.7 million, according to figures compiled by Johns Hopkins University in the US.

(EKN/VK)