ANKARA

Turkey on Saturday confirmed 106 more fatalities from the novel coronavirus over the past 24 hours, bringing the total death toll to 2,706

The total number of registered coronavirus cases surged to 107,773, as 2,861 more people tested positive for the virus, the Health Ministry said on Twitter.

So far, a total of 25,582 patients have been discharged from hospitals after recovering from the virus, with 3,845 discharged on Saturday alone, the ministry added.

“The number of discharged people is 984 more than the number of new patients," said Health Minister Fahrettin Koca in a tweet.

"The rate of positive tests has also been decreasing," he added, urging the public to follow lockdown measures. 

A total of 38,308 tests were conducted over the past 24 hours, with the total reaching 868,565, according to the ministry.

After originating in China last December, COVID-19, the disease caused by coronavirus, has spread to at least 185 countries and regions across the world. Europe and the US are currently the worst-hit regions.

The pandemic has killed nearly 200,000 people, with total infections exceeding 2.84 million, while over 803,000 have recovered from the disease, according to figures compiled by the US-based Johns Hopkins University.