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Turkey's death toll from the novel coronavirus pandemic has increased to 1,769 as 126 people died in a day, Health Minister Fahrettin Koca announced today (April 17) in a press conference in the capital Ankara.
The total number of cases have risen by 4,353 to 78,546, Koca stated. In the last 24 hours, 40,270 tests were carried out wile the total number of tests stands at 558,413.
For the first time, the number of patients in intensive care decreased. Currently, there are 1,845 patients in intensive care with 1,014 intubated patients. Yesterday, these figures were 1,854 and 1,040 respectively.
CLICK - All Updates on Turkey's Coronavirus Tally
What is a coronavirus? Coronaviruses are a large family of viruses which may cause illness in animals or humans. In humans, several coronaviruses are known to cause respiratory infections ranging from the common cold to more severe diseases such as Middle East Respiratory Syndrome (MERS) and Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome (SARS). The most recently discovered coronavirus causes coronavirus disease Covid-19. The virus was named SARS-CoV-2 by the International Committee on Taxonomy of Viruses.
What is Covid-19? Covid-19 is the infectious disease caused by the most recently discovered coronavirus. This new virus and disease were unknown before the outbreak began in Wuhan, China, in December 2019. What are the symptoms? Covid-19 symptoms include cough, fever, shortness of breath, muscle aches, sore throat, unexplained loss of taste or smell. How does Covid-19 spread? People can catch Covid-19 from others who have the virus. The disease can spread from person to person through small droplets from the nose or mouth which are spread when a person with Covid-19 coughs or exhales. These droplets land on objects and surfaces around the person. Other people then catch Covid-19 by touching these objects or surfaces, then touching their eyes, nose or mouth. Studies to date suggest that the virus is mainly transmitted through contact with respiratory droplets rather than through the air. How did the outbreak begin? Although health officials are still tracing the exact source of this new coronavirus, early hypotheses thought it may be linked to a seafood market in Wuhan. Some people who visited the market developed viral pneumonia caused by the new coronavirus. A study that came out on January 25, 2020, notes that the individual with the first reported case became ill on December 1, 2019, and had no link to the seafood market. Investigations are ongoing as to how this virus originated and spread. Sources: World Health Organization, Johns Hopkins University |
(VK)
