Experts warn of new COVID-19 wave

ISTANBUL

Türkiye may face a new wave of COVID infections as the actual number of coronavirus infections is more than detected, experts have warned.

As people have stopped wearing face masks while traveling on public transport or indoor spaces, it has triggered the recent spike in coronavirus cases, the experts said.

Earlier this week, Health Minister Fahrettin Koca reported that the number of virus cases increased from 26,635 between June 20 and 26 to 57,113 between June 27 and July 3. Last week 25 people died from COVID-19, up from 17 fatalities due to the pandemic in the previous week.

Experts noted that the past couple of days have been stressful due to new COVID patients, adding that people are still ignoring calls from authorities to get their COVID shots. They also pointed out that the number of people who received their booster shots has not even exceeded 27 million for months.

“Unfortunately, what we are facing is a new wave of the pandemic,” said Professor Tufan Tükek, dean of the Istanbul Medical School.

“At our hospital alone, 100 cases are detected each day, with the test positivity rate reaching 25 percent. We believe the number of daily cases in the country is above 10,000. There is also an increase in the number of hospitalizations, which can increase further within a month. This upward trend in infections worries us,” Tükek said.

In the face of the rising cases, Serious measures should be taken, warned Professor Bülent Ertuğrul, an expert in infectious diseases.

“People are totally ignoring the rules; they have developed a misconception about the pandemic. We made warnings weeks before [about possible risks],” he said.

Ertuğrul predicted that hospitalizations and infections would increase after the Eid al-Adha holiday.