Ankara, April 11 Turkey's total confirmed cases of COVID-19 climbed to 47,029, with 4,747 new patients reported in the last 24 hours, Turkish Health Minister Fahrettin Koca said.
The death toll from the novel coronavirus in Turkey reached 1,006 after 98 more lost their lives over the past 24 hours, Koca said at a press conference on Friday, reported Xinhua news agency.
Turkey has declared a two-day curfew for the weekend in 31 cities aiming to contain the increase in novel coronavirus cases, according to the Interior Ministry.
Turkey conducted a total of 30,864 tests in the last 24 hours, bringing the total number of tests carried out to 307,210, the minister noted.
A total of 2,423 patients have recovered, and 1,667 patients are still being treated at intensive care units, and 1,062 are intubated, the minister said.
"The increase in the cases has slowed down, but this should not ease us," the minister stated. "We can say that the number of patients admitted to the hospital, intensive care and intubated has entered the stable period, and the rate of increase has decreased," Koca stated.
"The next two weeks are very important." the minister said, calling for social isolation. Especially in some provinces, the situation is serious, he said, adding that the cases are high in Ankara, Istanbul, Izmir, Trabzon, Rize and Bursa provinces.
The number of cases reported by the ministry includes not only Turkish citizens but also others living in Turkey, such as the refugees, he noted.
Koca stated that Israel demanded medical supplies from Turkey and the authorities of both countries are in discussions on the issue. Turkey considers the request positively, he noted.
On March 11, Turkey reported its first COVID-19 case.
( With inputs from IANS )