Turkey's daily COVID-19 death toll drops to 57
People wearing face masks for protection against the coronavirus, walk in a busy street, in Ankara, Turkey, Tuesday, May 5, 2020. (AP Photo)


Turkey's daily coronavirus death toll dropped to 57 on Thursday as the total number of fatalities hits 3,641, Turkey's Health Minister Fahretting Koca confirmed.

Koca shared the pandemic's daily updates on his Twitter account, saying that the confirmed daily cases hit 1,977, taking the number of total cases to 133,721.

The total death toll and the number of people in intensive care units also dropped again. Turkey has tested almost 1.5 million citizens for the virus, the minister added.

According to the latest figures, there are 1,260 intensive care patients in Turkey and 4,782 people have recovered from the virus over the past 24 hours.

In the same period, over 30,395 additional tests were conducted.

Some 665 patients remain intubated.

Koca said Turkey has proven that getting results is not hard and that the virus has to be fought against decisively.

Wednesday the minister said following a Coronavirus Science Board meeting that Turkey has completed the first phase of its fight against the pandemic, adding that the country will adapt to a "new normal."

"The pandemic is under control but the realities of the virus have not changed. Your homes remain the safest place against the virus."

In light of the recent decline, Turkey has started to ease the measures. Among those is the ease in the curfew affecting senior citizens, children and teens. They will be allowed to go out for four hours, although just for one day. Barbershops, hairdressers and shopping malls will also be allowed to open as of Monday but with specific measures against the novel coronavirus.