Another person has died from coronavirus in Turkey, Health Minister Fahrettin Koca announced today (March 18).

 

The deceased person was a 61-year-old man, the minister said on Twitter.

 

Ninety-three more people have also been diagnosed with Covid-19, raising the total tally to 191 the minister added. "The tests concluded today show that the measures are very indispensable."

 

Although Minister Koca has been regularly giving updates regarding the outbreak, he did not disclose the total number of tests performed and in which cities the disease has been found. The Turkish Medical Association stated on Monday (March 16) that around seven thousand people had been tested and that it was far less than what should have been.

 

Turkey confirmed its first death from coronavirus yesterday while the total number of cases nearly doubled in one day.

 

The country confirmed its first case on March 11. It has taken measures against the outbreak since then, including closing cafes and bars, cancelling mass events, and suspending flights with 20 countries.

 

The outbreak emerged in China's Wuhan city in December and has so far spread to more than 140 countries, infecting more than 200 thousand people. The World Health Organization declared the outbreak a pandemic.