Turkey confirms 18th coronavirus case

Turkey announced new confirmed cases of the novel coronavirus on March 15 as it continued efforts to curb its spread.

Health Minister Fahrettin Koca said on Twitter that 12 more people have been diagnosed with the virus, bringing the total number of cases in the country to 18.

He said that among these, two people who had contact with the first case had tested positive for the virus.

Koca also disclosed where some of the patients had originated from.

He said seven of the confirmed cases had come from Europe and three from the U.S.

"Every detected case and every isolation is a security measure for all of us," he noted.

On March 11, Turkey became the last major economy to report an outbreak after taking what the World Health Organization (WHO) described as "vigilant" measures to delay it.

Since then, the government has ramped up measures to halt the spread of the virus, closing schools and universities, holding sports events without spectators and halting flights to many countries.

Thousands of Muslims returning to Turkey from a pilgrimage in Saudi Arabia were taken into quarantine on March 15 and the Interior Ministry said that bars and nightclubs will be closed from Monday to reduce the risk of coronavirus spreading.

After emerging in Wuhan, China last December, the virus, officially known as COVID-19, has spread to at least 141 countries and territories.

The global death toll from the virus has surpassed 5,700, with more than 152,000 cases confirmed worldwide, according to the WHO.

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