Turkey’s coronavirus death toll rises to 277, with 15,679 total cases

ANKARA

Turkey's death toll from the coronavirus outbreak increased by 63 to 277 on April 1, while the number of confirmed cases of the disease rose by 2,148 to 15,679, the health minister said.

Fahrettin Koca told a press conference that 14,396 tests had been conducted in the last 24 hours, bringing the total number of tests carried out in Turkey to 106,799 since the outbreak began. 

Turkey may conduct 20,000 to 25,000 coronavirus tests per day next week and will reach 30,000 tests shortly after, he said.

Koca also conveyed that there are also 601 confirmed COVID-19 cases among the medical personnel.

Nearly 80 percent of fatalities from coronavirus occurred among citizens aged over 60, Koca said.

He noted that the fatality rate from the virus stands at 1.58 percent in Turkey, lower than many other countries.

Koca also said that 333 people, who were diagnosed with coronavirus and treated in hospitals, recovered.

The number of patients in the intensive care units of the hospitals was 979, while the number of intubated patients was 692, according to the infographic shared by Koca.

He added that hospitals have not overstressed their resources, with a 63 percent occupancy rate in intensive care units and a bed occupancy rate of 40% in the Anatolian region of Turkey.