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.
Virus in Turkey
Thanks to Turkey’s excellent crisis management against the COVID-19 pandemic, it continues to report declines in the death toll and number of patients in intensive care units.
Health Minister Fahrettin Koca announced Thursday that 82,984 people have recovered from the virus, while the number of tests in the country will reach 1.5 million soon.
During the past day, the death toll reached 3,641 with 57 additional fatalities. A total of 1,977 new cases were registered, bringing the tally to 133,721, said Koca.
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With its high recovery rate and number of active cases rapidly declining, the success of Turkey’s healthcare system against the novel coronavirus has become apparent in numbers.
Turkey has repatriated nearly 70,000 Turkish nationals from 107 countries so far amid the coronavirus pandemic.
Meanwhile, Turkish celebrities are helping the UN get the word out about the coronavirus with their legions of followers and new audiences.
In addition to its fight against the novel coronavirus, Turkey has extended a helping hand to a number of peoples and countries including Rohingya, Algeria and Bangladesh by supplying medical and humanitarian aid amid the outbreak.
UK’s ambassador to Turkey Dominick Chilcott
The UK’s ambassador to Turkey said British media reports claiming that personal protective equipment (PPE) purchased from Turkey was “useless” after failing safety tests “are not true.”
Stories in the UK media that 400K items of PPE sent from Turkey are unusable are untrue. A small number of gowns from a private supplier have failed tests. But more gowns from that supplier have passed tests and are suitable for use in the NHS.
— Dominick Chilcott (@DChilcottFCO) May 7, 2020
Coronavirus continues hurting world
The global death toll from the novel coronavirus neared the 270,000 mark, while the number of cases hit 3.84 million, according to a running tally by U.S.-based Johns Hopkins University. Additionally, more than 1.2 million people worldwide have recovered from COVID-19.
The US continues to lead worldwide in cases and deaths from the virus. The death toll in the US has surpassed the 75,000 mark.
An expert at Maryland-based Johns Hopkins University warned that the US is at a "critical moment" in its battle against the coronavirus pandemic as more than 40 states will have reopened in varying degrees by the weekend.
Italy, one of the world's worst-hit countries, reported 274 new deaths due to COVID-19. The country confirmed the peak of the outbreak has passed, but experts warn that a relaxation in the lockdown could spark a rebound in the virus contagion curve.
Meanwhile, the death toll rose to 26,070 in Spain. Antonio González Pacheco, an accused torturer and key symbol of Franco-era repression in Spain, died of COVID-19 in Madrid.
The UK confirmed 539 deaths from the virus in 24 hours, bringing the death toll to over 30,600. Prime Minister Boris Johnson will give a speech on Sunday outlining a “roadmap” to easing the lockdown.
Russia on Thursday confirmed a new one-day record number of coronavirus cases with 11,231 people testing positive, taking the overall figure to 177,160.
The death toll in Iran from the coronavirus rose to 6,486 as 68 more fatalities were reported in the last 24 hours.
Germany may face a second wave of coronavirus infections this summer despite a decline in the number of new infections in recent weeks.
Pakistan announced a gradual exit from its countrywide lockdown and decided to open small markets, shops and allied industries of the construction sector across the country from Saturday.
Terrorism
The Daesh/ISIS terror group has increased its attacks in Iraq, especially in rural areas, amid political instability and security weakness in the country as well as the US-led coalition forces' withdrawal due to the coronavirus outbreak.
Turkish and Russian forces stationed in Syria conducted their ninth joint patrol in line with the Moscow agreement in early March.
Turkey's anti-terror operations are continuing in the region without a pause despite the coronavirus outbreak.
At least three PKK terrorists were neutralized in an air-backed anti-terror operation in southeastern Adiyaman province.
Turkey’s Interior Ministry announced that this week the country neutralized two wanted PKK terrorists in eastern Tunceli and Agri provinces.
Other developments
Nearly 3.2 million more Americans filed for unemployment benefits last week as the US continues to grapple with economic shockwaves from the novel coronavirus.
In the post-pandemic era, Turkey could be the supply hub for Europe if China, the Far East and India were preferred less, according to a top official from audit and consultancy giant Ernst & Young.
Turkey will implement policies to keep its industry alive amid the pandemic, said the country’s industry and technology minister.
The coronavirus has imposed a heavy burden on the tourism sector. The UN World Tourism Organization (UNWTO) projected international tourism to decline by 58%-78% year-on-year in 2020.
Also, the virus has had a big impact on aircraft observing systems. The World Meteorological Organization (WMO) expressed concern about the pandemic's rising impact on the quantity and quality of weather observations.
