Turkey has controlled the rate of spread of coronavirus as the death toll from the outbreak increased by 107 to 1,403 on April 14, while the number of confirmed cases from the disease rose by 4,062 to 65,111, the Health Minister said.
Some 842 patients recovered in the last 24 hours, Fahrettin Koca told a press conference following the virtual meeting of Coronavirus Science Board.
The total number of recovered cases stood at 4,799 on April 14.
He also said 33,070 tests were conducted over the past day, with the overall number of tests reaching 443,626.
Turkey is currently treating 1,809 patients in intensive care units, according to the top health official.
‘The spread is under control’
Koca underscored that the rate of rise in coronavirus cases has been seeing a downward trend as of the fourth week of the outbreak in Turkey. The spread is “under control,” he added.
The overall screening is not the right method to get reliable results, Koca said. “We make progress by pinpointing [the target].”
Mentioning the filiation method of screening the chain of contact in infectious disease, he said Turkey uses the method to reach people infected by the coronavirus, monitor them, and isolate the diagnosed for treatment.
Family physicians played an important role in the filiation process, he said.
The follow-up information about people suspected to be infected with the virus is shared with the family physicians and they observe whether the patients develop symptoms or not, he added.
Turkey has 4,600 filiation teams that are following up 251,028 people.
“As of today, 261,989 people have been identified in the contact chain and approximately 96% of them have been tracked,” he said, as part of the country’s efforts to curb the virus.
On the plasma therapy, Koca said the treatment of coronavirus patients with this cure is growing in Turkey. The number of people recovered after the therapy is also rising.
“I think we will see peak [of coronavirus outbreak] in the next 1-2 weeks unless there is a new fluctuation,” he added.
Koca said that the downward trend in the rate of rise in the coronavirus cases and deaths clearly shows that Turkey is on the right track in its fight.
Turkey might cooperate with many countries to develop a vaccine, he said, but it attaches more importance to own clinical work.
