Turkey has so far analyzed some 2,400 cases of suspected coronavirus infections and lab results have shown they were all cases of seasonal influenza, a senior Turkish official said Monday.
Ali Göktepe, who heads the department at the Health Ministry tasked with taking measures against the deadly outbreak that claimed hundreds of lives abroad, reassured the public about the virus. He repeated earlier statements by Health Ministry officials and said there has not been a single coronavirus case in the country so far.
As panic spread worldwide with the climbing death toll, countries scrambled to take measures to protect their citizens. Turkey was one of the first countries to step up protection against the outbreak and evacuated its citizens in Wuhan, the virus's epicenter in China. It also suspended flights to China, started thermal screening at its airports and most recently, suspended imports of animal products from China.
Göktepe said a board of specialists set up for coronavirus measures convenes five days a week for updates and new measures. "We have measures in place and as soon as a suspicious case emerges, we immediately gather information here and accordingly respond to the case. Some 2,400 suspected cases were investigated across the country and test results showed they were seasonal influenza. Still, in any suspicious case, health care personnel properly isolate the patient and immediately send test results to the laboratories," he said. "When a suspected case is identified, health care staff also examine the last known contacts of the patient," he added.
He also said they were monitoring international health threats at the center and coordinate responses quickly.
Regarding Turkish citizens evacuated from Wuhan, Göktepe said the virus was not detected in tests and all were in good health. Evacuees are mandated to stay for two weeks in quarantine and are currently at a hospital exclusively opened for them in the capital Ankara.
Meanwhile, Demirören News Agency (DHA) reported Monday that a Turkish student studying in China who had arrived in Turkey on Jan. 30 is being monitored at a hospital in the southern city of Mersin with a suspected coronavirus infection. The 22-year-old patient was earlier hospitalized for a high fever and a sore throat and is currently isolated, awaiting test results.
