Turkish Health Minister Fahrettin Koca speaks in a press conference in Ankara, Turkey, on April 1, 2020. The total number of confirmed COVID-19 cases surged to 15,679 in Turkey, as 2,148 more people were tested positive on Wednesday, Fahrettin Koca said in a press conference. (Photo by Mustafa Kaya/Xinhua)
ANKARA, April 1 (Xinhua) -- The total number of confirmed novel coronavirus cases surged to 15,679 in Turkey, as 2,148 more people were tested positive on Wednesday, Turkish Health Minister Fahrettin Koca said in a press conference.
Turkey on Wednesday registered 63 new deaths from COVID-19, bringing the total number of fatalities to 277.
Turkey conducted 14,396 tests to diagnose the virus in the past 24 hours, the minister said.
Some 979 patients are being treated in intensive care units and 692 more are intubated, he said, noting that the total cases recovered are 333.
With 8,852 diagnosed cases, Istanbul is the province with the largest number of cases in the country, followed by the western province of Izmir with 853 and Ankara with 712, said the minister.
A total of 601 medical staff are diagnosed with the virus, he added.
On March 11, Turkey reported its first COVID-19 case.
