Turkey confirms first coronavirus death just one week after announcing initial case

Ankara has confirmed 98 cases of the novel coronavirus over the past week.

1 min read

18 March, 2020

Turkey suspended communal mosque prayers earlier this week [Getty]

Turkey confirmed its first novel coronavirus-related death on Tuesday as the number of Covid-19 cases in the country rose to nearly 100.

"Today, I lost my first patient in our fight against coronavirus," Health Minister Fahrettin Koca told a televised press conference, adding that the victim was an 89-year-old man who contracted the virus from an employee with connections to China.

The minister added that the number of confirmed cases of the virus had risen from 47 to 98.

"The big majority of those who tested positive are recovering," Koca said.

The health minister's announcement came just one week after he confirmed Turkey's first case of the novel coronavirus.

Since then, Ankara has introduced an increasing number of stringent measures to contain the spread of the Covid-19 outbreak, including travel restrictions on 20 countries and the closure of schools and universities.

Authorities on Monday suspended collective mosque prayers until further notice and ordered the closure of public spaces, including cinemas.

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