ANKARA  

Turkey's state-run charity on Friday distributed food and personal hygiene items in Romania to 1,500 needy families.

The Turkish Cooperation and Coordination Agency (TIKA) dispatched the aid in the wake of the coronavirus pandemic.

There are 8,067 COVID-19 cases in Romania and the official death toll is 411.

The novel coronavirus has spread to 185 countries and regions since emerging in China last December, with the U.S. and Europe being the hardest-hit areas in the world.

Over 2.18 million cases have now been reported worldwide, with the death toll more than 147,000 and over 556,000 recoveries, according to figures compiled by U.S.-based Johns Hopkins University.

* Writing Erdogan Cagatay Zontur