Coronavirus death toll reaches 3,894 as recoveries exceed 98,000

Turkey's confirmed cases of the coronavirus increased by 1,704 in the past 24 hours, and 53 more people have died, taking the death toll to 3,894, Health Minister Fahrettin Koca said on May 12.

Turkey's total confirmed cases stood at 141,475, according to the graphic Koca shared at Twitter. 

Some 3,109 patients recovered in the last 24 hours, Koca added.

The total number of recovered cases stood at 98,889.

Koca also said 37,351 tests were conducted over the past day, with the overall number of tests reaching 1,440,671.

Turkey is currently treating 1,045 patients in intensive care units, along with 576 intubated patients, Koca added.

Turkey plans to carry out the sample tests to be run on 150,000 people across the country to see the extent of the spread of the coronavirus.

Test teams are expected to go out in the field this week while the results of sample tests are expected to come out between 15 to 20 days.

PCR and antibody tests will be used to have a clearer picture of the state of the outbreak in the country, Koca recently said, adding that those 150,000 people out of the country's some 81 million population, have been selected through sampling method.

Different groups will be selected for the sample tests, based on their age, professions, where they live and people who work in crowded places.

Judiciary's virus measures to gradually ease

Meanwhile, Justice Minister Abdulhamit Gül said on May 12 that the coronavirus measures taken in the judiciary will be eased after the Eid al-Fitr holiday, following the end of the holy month of Ramadan.

"A road map has been drawn for courts, penal institutions and notaries. After the holiday, all implementations will be eased,...