ANKARA
Anadolu Agency is here with a rundown of the latest developments on the coronavirus pandemic and other news in Turkey and around the world.
Turkey’s fight against virus
After a virtual meeting of the Coronavirus Scientific Advisory Board, Turkish Health Minister Fahrettin Koca said Wednesday that under the current conditions, the pandemic is under control.
He said some 70% of the country’s coronavirus patients have recovered so far.
The number of patients in intensive care in Turkey has fallen below 1,000 for the first time, while over 100,000 patients have recovered.
The number of recoveries has reached 101,715 with 2,826 additions in the last 24 hours.
The death toll from the outbreak rose to 3,952 as the country saw 58 more fatalities over the past day.
The country also registered 1,639 new cases, bringing the tally to 143,114.
As many as 33,332 tests were conducted in the country over the last 24 hours, bringing the total number of tests to nearly 1.48 million.
Meanwhile, in a videoconference, Health Minister Fahrettin Koca and Hans Kluge, the World Health Organization's regional director for Europe, discussed the number of coronavirus cases, recovery rates and treatment algorithms implemented by Turkey and normalization steps in the country.
Turkey is not only fighting against the virus but also the economic effects of the outbreak.
The worth of Turkey's Economic Stability Shield package launched to curb the economic fallout from the coronavirus has reached 240 billion Turkish liras ($35 billion) so far, the country’s treasury and finance minister said Wednesday.
Additionally, Turkey’s state-run aid agency continued to send help to people around the world.
The Turkish Cooperation and Coordination Agency (TIKA) distributed food packages, protective equipment and hygiene kits in Somalia and Djibouti.
Coronavirus continues doing damage
Since the virus emerged in Wuhan, China last December, it has spread to 188 countries and regions.
The global death toll from the novel coronavirus has exceeded 297,100, with more than 4.34 million confirmed cases, according to a running tally by US-based Johns Hopkins University.
Additionally, more than 1.54 million people worldwide have recovered from COVID-19.
The US is still the most affected country in the world, with around 1.39 million cases and more than 84,100 fatalities.
It is followed by Russia, its Cold War rival.
The overall case count in Russia reached 242,271 on Wednesday following yet another daily tally of over 10,000.
The death toll rose to 2,212 with 96 more fatalities, while 4,491 recoveries pushed the total to 48,003.
While Russia has the second highest number of confirmed cases, the UK has the second-highest death toll at 33,264 and the third highest number of cases with 230,986, according to Johns Hopkins University.
Italy, also one of the worst-hit countries in Europe by the coronavirus, reported 195 new fatalities Wednesday, bringing the death toll to 31,106.
Wednesday proved a day of progress for France in the battle against the coronavirus as the death toll dropped significantly.
Since the start of the outbreak, the number of deaths in the country from the virus stands at 27,074 with 178,184 confirmed cases.
For the third day in a row, Spain reported less than 450 new COVID-19 infections and under 200 daily deaths Wednesday, confirming positive trends in the outbreak's evolution. With 184 more fatalities, Spain’s official death toll now sits at 27,104.
Iran confirmed 50 more fatalities from the coronavirus over the past 24 hours, taking the nationwide death toll to 6,783, according to the country's Health Ministry.
As coronavirus cases decline in many European countries, there is no relief in the Americas.
The Americas surpassed Europe on Tuesday, becoming the continent with the most cases of the novel coronavirus, with more than 1.8 million reported. More than 82,000 people have died in the US and 12,400 in Brazil.
The death toll in Africa from the coronavirus has risen to 2,403 after 67 new deaths were recorded over the last 24 hours, the Africa Centres for Disease Control and Prevention said Wednesday.
Turkey’s fight against terrorism
Turkish security forces neutralized five YPG/PKK terrorists in Sirnak province, the country's interior minister said late Wednesday.
Other developments
US Acting Director of National Intelligence Richard Grenell on Wednesday released a list of former Obama administration officials accused of “unmasking” former National Security Advisor Michael Flynn.
US President Donald Trump broke Wednesday with the nation's top infectious disease expert over his warning of a coronavirus resurgence if proper precautions are not taken as states reopen.
Consumers have a right to cash refunds for canceled flights, Margrethe Vestager, European commissioner for digital affairs and competition, said Wednesday.
Germany announced Wednesday that it will relax border checks with several neighboring countries beginning this weekend amid a decline in the number of new coronavirus infections.
