Istanbul sees uptick in COVID-19 cases

ISTANBUL

Istanbul has recently seen a resurgence of COVID-19 cases, prompting officials to consider stricter measures for the country’s most populous city.

The number of virus cases in Istanbul is now twice the number in the capital Ankara where the increase in infections has somehow stabilized following a spike in the first ten days of September, daily Hürriyet reported.

Officials, however, had already expected a surge in virus cases in Istanbul in October, thus the increase in infections in the city came as no surprise, prompting authorities to consider ramping up measures to prevent a possible spike in COVID-19 cases in other provinces in the Marmara region, according to the daily.

Officials reckon that a large number of people commute between Istanbul and other provinces in the Marmara region, which creates an environment for the virus to spread easily.

Authorities expect the increase in cases to continue until December, thus anti-virus measures should not be relaxed in the city and the region until then.

Officials believe that the number of cases across Turkey, except for Istanbul and the Marmara region, is either declining or staying flat, and this situation is not likely to change throughout winter.

“There is a drop in our intensive care occupancy rates this week. The rate of pneumonia in patients has also fallen compared to last week,” Health Minister Fahrettin Koca said in a tweet.