Turkey logs record level of more than 74,000 COVID-19 cases in a day

ISTANBUL: Turkey has recorded 74,266 new COVID-19 cases in the space of 24 hours, its highest daily figure of the pandemic, health ministry data showed on Tuesday, prompting the health minister to warn of the danger represented by the Omicron variant.

There were 137 deaths related to coronavirus in the same period, the data showed. In late December, daily cases stood at around 20,000.

Turkey records nearly 45,000 COVID-19 cases as Omicron spreads

"As cases due to the Omicron variant become dominant, Omicron will be a source of danger for those in risk groups and it may lead to death among the elderly and the chronically ill," Health Minister Fahrettin Koca said on Twitter.