Coronavirus death toll climbs to 44 in Turkey

Health minister announces 343 new cases, bringing tally to 1,872

Turkey confirmed seven more deaths from coronavirus on late Tuesday, bringing the total number of fatalities to 44.

A total of 3,952 coronavirus tests have been conducted in the last 24 hours on people suspected of contracting the virus, and 343 tested positive, bringing the tally of infections to 1,872, Health Minister Fahrettin Koca said on Twitter.

“How many people [contracted the virus]? In 195 countries, this question is asked every day. Although we have losses, it is not late for Turkey,” he said, stressing that one of the patients was suffering from chronic obstructive pulmonary disease, and the other fatalities were elderly.

While most victims of the virus worldwide have been the elderly, health officials fear they may have contracted it from the young carriers who may be asymptomatic.

After emerging in Wuhan, China last December, coronavirus 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 409,000 confirmed cases, the death toll now exceeds 18,200, while nearly 106,500 have recovered.

Italy, China, Iran, and Spain continue to be the most affected countries.

Despite the rising number of cases, a vast majority of those infected by the virus suffer mild symptoms and recover.