Photographer: Chris McGrath / Getty Images
Photographer: Chris McGrath / Getty Images
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Turkey On Sunday, 318 fatalities were reported from coronavirus, 10% more than the day before and the highest figure since the start of the pandemic.
As the number of new cases continues to fluctuate among the highest in the world, an expert warned about the increase in the number of young people with serious illnesses.
The death toll on Sunday raised the total death toll to 35,926, according to official figures. The social distancing measures announced on April 13 “have begun to slow the pace of the rise,” Health Minister Fahrettin Koca said in a tweet. However, the nation ranks third in number of daily cases, behind India and Brazil, whose populations are much larger than Turkey’s 84 million people.
“Alarms have sounded for the past 15 days,” Ismail Cinel, head of the Turkish Intensive Care Association, told Demiroren news agency on Sunday. “We now have more younger patients. The number of seriously ill has increased over the past six weeks. This is an extremely difficult time for healthcare professionals. “
The increase also threatens the tourism industry. Earlier this month, Russia suspended most air travel with Turkey until June 1. Russia was the largest source of tourists in Turkey in 2020, with 2.13 million visitors despite the pandemic. The Turkish government aims to double the number of foreign visitors to 34 million this year.