Minister of Health Dr Fahrettin Koca held a press conference following the Regional Evaluation Meeting, during which the situation in the provinces of Adana, Gaziantep, Hatay, Kahramanmaraş, Kilis, Mersin and Osmaniye were evaluated.
Following the press conference he held after his visit to the Governorate of Adana, Minister Koca evaluated the course of the pandemic, healthcare infrastructure, investments and needs in the region.
Noting that Adana was the sixth most populated province in Turkey, Koca continued, "We have witnessed how the capacity and flexibility of the city hospital helped the changing needs of the region. This way, Adana has set an example to the whole country."
Touching upon the COVID-19 response efforts, Koca said, "As you know there has been a rise in the number of cases, but this rise was not the same everywhere. In some regions, there has been unwanted increases in the figures. Thanks to the strict monitoring of measures taken and rapid interventions for the past few weeks, we have been able to decelerate the spread."
Stressing the importance of following the measures strictly, Koca continued, "We are in close coordination with our governors, health directors, chief physicians, and healthcare workers as we continue to fight. The resilience and determinacy of the people will make us even stronger."
"Turkey is one of the best countries in terms of contact tracing"
"Our goal is to reduce the number of patients and the burden on our hospitals", said Koca and continued, "I want to underline once again that the earlier we can isolate contacts, the more successful we are in containing the pandemic. Turkey is one of the best countries in terms of contact tracing. This strength has been made use of intensively in Adana."
"National bed occupancy rate is 48%"
Minister Koca also provided some information about the latest situation in Turkey and said, "National bed occupancy rate is 48% while the intensive care occupancy rate is 68%, and the ventilator occupancy rate is 31%. The number of contact-tracing teams across Turkey has reached 11,800. This corresponds to 35,400 staff. This number is higher than the number of physicians some countries had during the pandemic."
Noting that masks, distance and hygiene supported the work of contact-tracing teams, Koca continued, "No country fights the coronavirus as systemically as we do. This claim is not only supported by the Ministry of Health. The World Health Organization shows Turkey as an example to other countries. I am not saying these things to brag. I want us to have more faith in ourselves. The more we believe in ourselves, the more positive the result will be. If we lose faith, we will soon get tired. At this point, it is risky to get tired."
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