ANKARA: Turkey recorded 54,740 new coronavirus cases in the last 24 hours, health ministry data showed on Wednesday, the highest daily level since the start of the pandemic.

Last week President Tayyip Erdogan announced a tightening of coronavirus restrictions, including the return of full nationwide weekend lockdowns during the Islamic fasting month of Ramadan, which starts on April 13.

The latest daily death toll was 276, the highest number in a day since the start of the outbreak, bringing the cumulative toll to 32,943.

Turkey has carried out nearly 17.97 million vaccine inoculations, with some 10.55 million people receiving a first dose, since Jan. 14 when it began the nationwide rollout of COVID-19 shots, health ministry data showed.

Turkey administers China's Sinovac Biotech Ltd and Pfizer and BioNTech's vaccine shots.