Deaths from COVID-19 continue to decline

ISTANBUL

Deaths from the coronavirus continue to decline, while the number of COVID-19 cases shows a downward trend in Turkey, according to the data from the Health Ministry.

The ministry reported less than 20 deaths on April 18 and 19, the lowest fatalities recorded in months.

Since the first COVID-19 case, reported in March 2020 in the country, the virus has infected more than 14 million people and killed over 97,000 patients.

Turkey saw a surge in infections in early February due to the Omicron variant of the coronavirus. At one point, the daily number of cases exceeded 100,000. However, the pandemic situation gradually improved in the following weeks and months.

Last week, Health Minister Fahrettin Koca said that the worst of the COVID-19 pandemic was over for Turkey, and people should not worry anymore.

Experts repeatedly said that even though the Omicron variant was more contagious, it is not as deadly as the earlier strains of the coronavirus. Both health experts and government officials are optimistic that the pandemic situation will improve further during the summer months.

Hospitalizations have also been on the decline.

There is no single COVID-19 patient in intensive care units in 804 hospitals, Koca said in a Tweet on April 13.

“There are no [coronavirus] patients [receiving treatment] in 519 hospitals,” he added.

Experts link the decline in hospitalities and fewer patients in intensive care units to vaccine jabs, but they also warn that the pace of the vaccination drive is losing steam.