More than 4,000 people have undergone COVID-19 tests in Turkey so far, according to Professor Alpay Azap, a member of a board established by the country’s Health Ministry to fight against the virus, the Hürriyet daily reported.
Turkish Health Minister Fahrettin Koca announced the first case of COVID-19 in Turkey on March 11, while the number of persons who had contracted the disease had risen to six, according to another statement on Sunday.
“So far, [coronavirus] tests have been conducted on more than 4,000 people When compared to the number of tests conducted across the world, this figure may seem low, but it’s sufficient considering the number of reported cases. The number of suspicious cases is low since we only conduct the tests on people with symptoms of high fever and coughing and who have had overseas contacts,” explained Azap.
The most common diagnostic tests for COVID-19 are the so-called “PCR tests” that use samples swabbed from a patient’s nose and throat.
China, South Korea and Italy have so far recorded the highest number of COVID-19 tests.