Merve Berker
18 March 2022•Update: 18 March 2022
ANKARA
Turkiye reported 19,126 new coronavirus cases on Friday.
The Health Ministry said 123 virus-related fatalities and 20,274 recoveries were recorded in the past 24 hours and as many as 312,117 virus tests were conducted.
To counter the spread of the virus, Turkiye has administered more than 146.42 million COVID-19 vaccine doses since it launched an immunization drive in January 2021.
More than 57.75 million people have received a first vaccine jab, while 52.92 million have been immunized twice.
As the virus seems to be receding, Turkiye scrapped its outdoor mask mandate in early March, a longtime measure to stem the spread of COVID-19.
Since December 2019, the pandemic has claimed more than 6.06 million lives in at least 192 countries and regions, with over 466.4 million cases reported, according to US-based Johns Hopkins University.
