Turkey on Saturday reported 1,509 new coronavirus cases and 1,207 recoveries.

The data from the Health Ministry showed that overall recoveries are at 257,731 while the total infection count reached 289,635.

The virus-linked death toll, meanwhile, rose to 6,999 as 48 more people succumbed to the disease.

Some 98,326 more COVID-19 tests were conducted over the past day, bringing the total to 8.42 million.

The number of patients in critical condition now stands at 1,241, the data showed.

The virus, which surfaced in the Chinese city of Wuhan last December, has infected over 28 million people, and claimed more than 910,000 lives in 188 countries and regions, according to the U.S.' Johns Hopkins University.

While China has largely contained the outbreak, there are concerns of a resurgence in Europe, where cases are rising.