Turkey conducts nearly 64,000 COVID-19 tests in one day

ANKARA

Turkey conducted a total of 63,842 tests for the coronavirus on Aug.8, marking a record number of tests to date, the country’s health minister has announced.

“The highest [daily test] number [so far] had been 58,000,” Fahrettin Koca said on Twitter.

More than 5.2 million tests have been conducted in the country since the beginning of the outbreak.

Koca also said that COVID-19-related pneumonia rates are down across Turkey.

“There is no major change in our hospital [bed] occupancy rates,” as the numbers of new and recovered patients are close to each other, Koca noted.

“Good results depend on tight measures,” the minister added.

Koca on Aug. 7 accepted a wear-a-mask challenge on Twitter posed by the head of the World Health Organization (WHO).

Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus tagged Koca and invited him with a #WearAMask hashtag.

“Thank you Mr Director-General Dr Tedros for your message. I urge all countries to wear a mask, practice social distancing and follow hygiene rules. My dear friend @hans_kluge, I know you are with us #WearAMask,” Koca responded from his Twitter account.

Koca tagged the WHO’s Regional Director for Europe Hans Henri Kluge and said: “My dear friend @hans_kluge, I know you are with us #WearAMask.”

The WHO launched the challenge earlier last week.