Turkey’s coronavirus cases exceed 300,000 – health ministry

FILE PHOTO: Medical workers of the Bakirkoy District Health Directorate wearing protective suits arrive at a building during an antibody testing program following the coronavirus disease (COVID-19) outbreak, in Istanbul, Turkey, June 17, 2020. REUTERS/Murad Sezer

ISTANBUL (Reuters) – The total number of coronavirus cases in Turkey rose above 300,000 on Saturday, the health ministry said, as authorities struggle to contain a resurgence in the outbreak.

The ministry said there were 1,538 new cases in the last 24 hours, taking the total to 301,348. The death toll rose by 68 to 7,445.

President Tayyip Erdogan said on Friday the government needs to ramp up measures to curb the rise in cases, which has also prompted protests from doctors who say official data underplays the scale of the outbreak.

(for details of the coronavirus in Turkey, click here: here)

Reporting by Dominic Evans; Editing by Gareth Jones

source: reuters.com