People wearing face masks shop for the upcoming Ramadan at the Grand Bazaar in Ankara, Turkey, April 22, 2020. Turkish Health Minister Fahrettin Koca on Wednesday confirmed 3,083 new COVID-19 cases and 117 more deaths in Turkey for the past 24 hours. The total number of confirmed COVID-19 cases in Turkey increased to 98,674, while the death toll surged to 2,376, Koca said at a press conference. (Photo by Mustafa Kaya/Xinhua)
ANKARA, April 22 (Xinhua) -- Turkish Health Minister Fahrettin Koca on Wednesday confirmed 3,083 new COVID-19 cases and 117 more deaths in Turkey for the past 24 hours.
The total number of confirmed COVID-19 cases in Turkey increased to 98,674, while the death toll surged to 2,376, Koca said at a press conference.
Turkey conducted 37,535 tests for the coronavirus in the last 24 hours, bringing the total number of tests carried out to 750,944, he added.
In addition, 16,477 patients have recovered from COVID-19, while 1,814 are being treated at intensive care units and 985 are intubated, the minister noted.
The rate of death has been stabilized, the minister said, noting that the rate of cases turning into pneumonia decreases day by day.
Turkey's gradual transition to the normalization process after the Ramadan Feast depends on the strict implementation of the announced measures, the minister emphasized.
Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan said on Monday that Turkey's goal is to ease the measures at the end of the Eid al-Fitr in May, a Muslim feast marking the end of the Islamic holy month of Ramadan.
