Turkey sees highest new COVID-19 cases in 45 days

ANKARA

Turkey on Saturday confirmed 1,256 more cases of COVID-19, the highest new case numbers in 45 days, according to the country's heath minister.

The tally of infections across the country to date rose to 248,117, Fahrettin Koca said on Twitter, citing Health Ministry data.

“The number of Severe Patients, which is our critical indicator, generally increases with those in the risk group who have contracted the disease,” Koca said.

The ministry data showed 668 patients remain in critical condition.

The country also confirmed 992 more recoveries from the novel coronavirus, pushing the total to nearly 230,000, he added.

Turkey's death toll also climbed to 5,955 after 21 more people died since Friday.

Healthcare professionals did 67,214 tests to diagnose the disease over the past day, bringing the tally to around 5.66 million.

Earlier, Koca reiterated on Twitter the importance of fighting the virus, saying: "Like all epidemics experienced by humanity, this epidemic will also come to an end. Live your social life in a controlled manner."

Since it originated in China last December The coronavirus pandemic has claimed more than 767,400 lives in 188 countries and regions.

The US, Brazil, India, and Russia are currently the worst-hit countries in the world.

Over 21.2 million COVID-19 cases have been reported globally, with recoveries nearing to 13.3 million, according to figures compiled by the US' Johns Hopkins University.