Turkey: 93-year-old woman beats coronavirus

MARDIN, Turkey

A 93-year-old Turkish woman on Friday recovered from the novel coronavirus which has claimed thousands of lives worldwide since it emerged in China last December.

The woman was admitted to a state hospital in Nusaybin in the southeastern Mardin province with COVID-19 symptoms.

After she tested positive for the virus, her treatment started at the hospital and she was discharged on Friday with a round of applause.

Another 63-year-old patient, who tested COVID-19 positive, also discharged from the same hospital after 14 days of treatment.

After originating in Wuhan, China last December, the virus has spread to at least 185 countries and territories. The World Health Organization has declared the outbreak a pandemic.

Turkey on Thursday confirmed 125 more deaths from the coronavirus over the past 24 hours, bringing the country's death toll to 1,643. The total number of registered coronavirus cases in the country surged to 74,193.

More than 2.16 million cases have been reported worldwide, with the death toll at more than 146,000 and nearly 551,000 recoveries, according to data compiled by the U.S.-based Johns Hopkins University.

Despite the rising number of cases, most people who contract the virus suffer mild symptoms before making a recovery.

*Writing by Gozde Bayar