Turkey Announces First Death from Coronavirus as Number of Cases Doubles in 24 Hours

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Turkey has the first death from the novel coronavirus outbreak, Health Minister Fahrettin Koca has announced.

The deceased person was an 89-year-old male and got the virus from one of his employees who had been to China, Koca stated at a press conference at around 11.55 p.m. (8.55 GMT) yesterday (March 17).

The minister also announced that 51 more people tested positive for the virus in one day, bringing the tally to 98 cases

After confirming its first case on March 11, Turkey has taken a series of measures, including shutting down cafes and bars, canceling events and gatherings and restricting flights.

The outbreak emerged in China's Wuhan city in December and has so far spread to more than 140 countries, infecting nearly 190 thousand people. The World Health Organization declared the outbreak a pandemic.

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(EKN/VK)