Minister of Health Dr Fahrettin Koca delivered a press statement following the evaluation meeting for the provinces of the Aegean region, namely İzmir, Aydın, Manisa, Muğla, Uşak and Denizli.
Minister Koca paid a visit to the governorate and was briefed by the Izmir Governor Yavuz Selim Köşger on the latest situation in the province.
Figures in Turkey and Izmir
Noting that the number of cases were on the rise across Turkey, Koca said, "We know that the increase is not the same everywhere. Izmir has become one of these provinces that we are closely following up on. There is a lot of incoming people to Izmir as it is home to many tourism destinations. For this reason, Izmir has a critical role in controlling the pandemic in the country, in general. In Izmir, we have seen a 42 percent increase in the number of cases compared to a month ago. Thanks to rapid and effective interventions, we have been able to reduce this increase to 10% last week. We expect the situation to get better even more in 10 days."
Good news
Noting the good news from Izmir, Koca continued, "In Izmir, the rate of pneumonia has dropped from 8.2% to 4.9%. Which is a 40% decrease. Currently, there are 445 contact-tracing teams operational in Izmir. In Turkey, the average duration of contact tracing in Turkey is 15 hours. It is 19 hours in Izmir. We want this to go down to 12 hours. Turkey is one of the best-performing countries in terms of contact tracing. This contact tracing army has been of paramount importance in Izmir. We hope to see the impact of this even more in the coming days."
Following his meeting at the governor's office, Minister Koca visited patients being treated at Izmir Katip Çelebi Ataturk Training and Research Hospital.
During the press conference held at Izmir Department of Public Health Services, Koca offered information on pandemic response efforts in the region and in Turkey.
Koca said, "This pandemic is testing our healthcare infrastructure. And we seem to be passing this test thanks to our robust healthcare infrastructure, investments made in human resources, its experience and selfless healthcare workers. When the whole world was having a difficult time in accessing supplies and medication, Turkey has met its domestic needs and has been able to donate medical supplies, medication and ventilators to more than 150 countries. Turkish people have all the right to be proud."
"Izmir will have its city hospital"
Speaking about healthcare investments in the region, Koca said, "We can see how pivotal city hospitals have been during the pandemic. It is important to have rooms that can instantly be turned into ICU. Manisa city hospital became operational last year. Soon, Izmir will also have its city hospital. Bayraklı City Hospital, with a 2600 bed capacity, will befit the people of Izmir and contribute greatly to the healthcare services provided across the region. We will complete this investment in 2021. This hospital will not only serve the people living in this region. It will also serve as an important hub in health tourism, which will further develop Izmir."
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