ANKARA

Turkish defense officials on Friday distributed protective health supplies to soldiers stationed at a NATO Allied Land Command based in Izmir.

In a statement, the Turkish Ministry of National Defense said it distributed the supplies to 320 allied staff of 23 NATO member countries as part of the fight against the novel coronavirus pandemic.

Despite the fact that Turkey currently has 146,457 confirmed coronavirus cases and that its death toll from the virus stands at 4,055, it has been one of the top countries sending medical aid abroad.

On Thursday, the country's vice president said Turkey had sent medical aid to over 80 countries to fight the novel coronavirus.

Noting that these countries mainly requested face masks, gloves and respirators, Fuat Oktay said nearly 70% of countries worldwide had asked Ankara for assistance.

After originating in Wuhan, China last December, COVID-19 has spread to at least 188 countries and regions, with Europe and the US currently the worst hit.

The pandemic has killed more than 304,600 people worldwide with nearly 4.5 million confirmed cases, while recoveries have surpassed 1.6 million, according to figures compiled by the Johns Hopkins University of the US.

* Writing by Fahri Aksut