Turkey reports over 16,000 new coronavirus cases

Turkey registered 16,190 new coronavirus cases on Tuesday, the Health Ministry said.

The ministry said 63 virus-related fatalities and 21,256 recoveries were also recorded in the past 24 hours, and 288,968 tests were done.

To counter the spread of the virus, Turkey has administered more than 146.8 million COVID-19 vaccine doses since it launched an immunization drive in January 2021.

More than 57.77 million people have gotten a first vaccine jab, while over 52.96 million have been immunized twice. The number of booster shots administered has exceeded 27.6 million.

With the virus apparently receding, Turkey in early March scrapped its outdoor mask mandate, a longtime measure to stem the spread of COVID-19.

Since December 2019, the pandemic has claimed more than 6.12 million lives in at least 192 countries and regions, with over 482.7 million cases reported, according to the US-based Johns Hopkins University.