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Covid-19: Turkey records highest new cases since April

The rise in daily death toll in Turkey since July has been among the sharpest in Europe and the Middle East
People wait to receive an injection of the Pfizer-BioNTech vaccine at Haydarpasa Numune Hospital in Istanbul, on 4 May 2021 (AFP)

Turkey registered 29,802 new Covid-19 cases on Tuesday, the highest daily average since 30 April, as the health ministry urged citizens to get vaccinated.

The country also recorded 228 deaths from the virus, health ministry data showed. Around 66.4 percent of the population in Turkey has been vaccinated, according to a Reuters Covid-19 tracker. 

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Health Minister Fahrettin Koca called on citizens to get the vaccine, follow personal hygiene and distancing measures. 

The rise in Turkey's daily death toll since mid-July has been among the sharpest among countries in Europe and the Middle East, global data shows.

Turkey reopened schools to in-person education in September and removed most coronavirus measures over the summer. Ankara also began asking for negative PCR tests or proof of vaccination from teachers and from people attending certain public events.

On 21 September, the country logged 29,338 new cases, which, at the time, was the highest number of daily infections since April. 

The health ministry has been touting the effectiveness of booster shots in adding a layer of protection against the disease, and is considering plans to give third vaccines starting in November.  

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