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Coronavirus pandemic

Turkey's COVID-19 pandemic is being replaced by endemic — scientist

"The severe COVID-19 epidemic, the pandemic, is behind us," member of Turkey's Coronavirus Scientific Advisory Board Aydin Yilmaz pointed out

ANKARA, April 18. /TASS/. Coronavirus pandemic period in Turkey is over, COVID will become endemic, Aydin Yilmaz, a member of Turkey's Coronavirus Scientific Advisory Board, said on Monday.

"The severe COVID-19 epidemic, the pandemic, is behind us. Next we will see [the disease] as endemic, it will develop like the flu. I hope we will spend the upcoming summer season very calmly," the TRT TV quoted the scientist as saying.

According to Yilmaz, the number of COVID patients admitted to hospital and intensive care units has decreased significantly in Turkey. As an example, he cited his hospital in Ankara, where only four patients are in the intensive care unit, where they have been treated for a long time. "In the last 15 days, not a single serious patient has been admitted to the intensive care unit," the Coronavirus Scientific Advisory Board representative added.

For his part, Turkish Health Minister Fahrettin Koca announced an upcoming meeting of the Coronavirus Scientific Advisory Board on Thursday, where important decisions are expected to be made.

"It is time to forget about the coronavirus pandemic that has held the world's agenda hostage for two years. We want to go forward, we want to continue to live with personal protection measures and vaccinations," the TRT TV channel quoted the minister as saying. "At the upcoming board meeting on Thursday, we will discuss the pandemic situation and take the necessary measures. In my opinion, this will be one of the most important meetings of the board," the Turkish Health Minister said.

COVID-19 situation

The Turkish authorities due to the improvement in the epidemic situation in March abolished the requirement to wear protective masks on the streets and in closed rooms, the so-called health codes, PCR testing for those who have no symptoms of COVID-19. However, for foreign tourists the conditions for entry into the country have not yet changed: vaccination with a vaccine recognized in Turkey (for Russians - Sputnik V), a negative PCR test for COVID-19 or antigens, as well as a recovery certificate.

As of April 18, Turkey had 3,268 COVID cases in 24 hours, 14,952 recoveries and 17 deaths.

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