Turkey conducts nearly 64,000 COVID-19 tests in one day
ANKARA
Turkey conducted a total of 63,842 tests for the coronavirus on Aug.8, marking a record number of tests to date, the country’s health minister has announced.
“The highest [daily test] number [so far] had been 58,000,” Fahrettin Koca said on Twitter.
More than 5.2 million tests have been conducted in the country since the beginning of the outbreak.
Koca also said that COVID-19-related pneumonia rates are down across Turkey.
“There is no major change in our hospital [bed] occupancy rates,” as the numbers of new and recovered patients are close to each other, Koca noted.
“Good results depend on tight measures,” the minister added.
Koca on Aug. 7 accepted a wear-a-mask challenge on Twitter posed by the head of the World Health Organization (WHO).
Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus tagged Koca and invited him with a #WearAMask hashtag.
“Thank you Mr Director-General Dr Tedros for your message. I urge all countries to wear a mask, practice social distancing and follow hygiene rules. My dear friend @hans_kluge, I know you are with us #WearAMask,” Koca responded from his Twitter account.
Koca tagged the WHO’s Regional Director for Europe Hans Henri Kluge and said: “My dear friend @hans_kluge, I know you are with us #WearAMask.”
The WHO launched the challenge earlier last week.