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Coronavirus death toll climbs to 30 in Turkey

22 March 2020 23:31 (UTC +04:00)

Turkey confirmed nine more deaths from the novel coronavirus late on Sunday, bringing the total fatalities to 30, APA reports quoting Anadolu Agency.

Health Minister Fahrettin Koca said on Twitter that all the deceased were elderly people.

More than 20,000 coronavirus tests have been conducted so far on people suspected to be infected with the virus and 289 people tested positive in the last 24 hours, carrying the tally of infections to 1,236, he said.

Koca called on all the citizens to be cautious and said: “This country will not be defeated by this threat.”

COVID-19 emerged in Wuhan, China last December, and has spread to at least 169 countries and regions, according to data compiled by the U.S.-based Johns Hopkins University.

Out of more than 328,000 confirmed cases, the death toll now nears 14,500, while over 95,000 have recovered.

Despite the rising number of cases, most who become infected suffer only mild symptoms and recover.

The World Health Organization declared the outbreak a pandemic.